Wastewater permit renewed for Cullasaja Joint Venture in Jackson County
HIGHLANDS -- The Division of Water Quality has renewed a permit for Cullasaja Joint Venture in Jackson County that maintains discharge capacity for treated wastewater, removes irrigation requirements and establishes new instream monitoring.
The plant, which handles needs for the Cullasaja Club development, is permitted to discharge up to 150,000 gallons of treated wastewater into Norton Mill Creek. The permit was renewed Aug. 3. Cullasaja's previous permit was issued in 1993 and allowed both land applications and treated wastewater discharges.
Preston Howard, director of DWQ, said the land application provision was removed due to concerns about potential runoff. The area reportedly averages more than 85 inches of rainfall annually.
"We added the stream monitoring requirement to help ensure that water quality standards are being met," Howard said.
The new National Pollutant Discharge Elimination Systems permit requires that Cullasaja conduct both upstream and downstream monitoring for dissolved oxygen, fecal coliform and temperature.
Norton Mill Creek is classified C-Trout, a designation that protects water quality for natural trout populations and public recreational activities such as infrequent body contact while wading, boating or fishing. The creek also has an additional management strategy to protect the downstream Outstanding Resource Waters' designation for the Savannah, which does not allow any new or expanded wastewater discharges.
On Jan. 13, DWQ held a public meeting in Cashiers to accept comment on the proposal. Twenty-two people attended the public meeting, four of whom spoke in opposition of the permit renewal.
Cullasaja sought to remove the irrigation requirement citing heavy annual rainfall concerns and that the practice was only significantly used in May and June, with the system completely shut down from November through April.
The hearing officer reviewed public comments and then recommended to Howard that the new permit require instream monitoring and that the land application provision be removed.
For information or a copy of the permit, contact Jeff Myhra of the NPDES Unit, DWQ, P.O. Box 29535, Raleigh, NC 27626-0535; telephone, (919) 733-7015, extension 597. Copies are also available from the division's Asheville Regional Office, Interchange Building, 59 Woodfin Place, Asheville, NC 28801; (704) 251-6208.
# # #
Contact Person: Jeff Myhra, (919) 733-7015, extension 597
Date Posted: August 13
Return to Press Release Page.