[Federal Register Volume 79, Number 95 (Friday, May 16, 2014)]
[Notices]
[Pages 28509-28510]
From the Federal Register Online via the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]
[FR Doc No: 2014-11427]


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ENVIRONMENTAL PROTECTION AGENCY

[FRL-9910-98-Region-1]


Notice of Availability of Draft Npdes General Permits Mag250000 
and Nhg250000 for Discharges of Non-Contact Cooling Water in 
Massachusetts and New Hampshire: the Non-Contact Cooling Water General 
Permit (NCCW GP)

AGENCY: Environmental Protection Agency (EPA).

ACTION: Notice of Availability of Draft Npdes General Permits MAG250000 
and NHG250000.

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SUMMARY: The Director of the Office of Ecosystem Protection, EPA--
Region 1, is providing a notice of availability of draft National 
Pollutant Discharge Elimination System (NPDES) general permits for non-
contact cooling water discharges to certain waters of the Commonwealth 
of Massachusetts and the State of New Hampshire. These General Permits 
replace the Non-contact Cooling Water General Permit (NCCW GP) that 
expired on July 31, 2013.

DATES: Comment on the draft general permits must be received on or 
before June 16, 2014.
    Public Hearing Information: EPA will hold a public hearing, if 
necessary, in accordance with 40 CFR 124.12 and will provide interested 
parties with the opportunity to provide written and/or oral comments 
for the official administrative record.

ADDRESSES: Comments on the draft NCCW GP shall be submitted by one of 
the following methods:
    (1) Email: [email protected] or
    (2) Mail: Suzanne Warner, US EPA--Region 1, 5 Post Office Square--
Suite 100, Mail Code OEP06-4, Boston, MA 02109-3912.
    No facsimiles (faxes) will be accepted.
    The draft permit is based on an administrative record available for 
public review at EPA-Region 1, Office of Ecosystem Protection, 5 Post 
Office Square-Suite 100, Boston, Massachusetts 02109-3912. A reasonable 
fee may be charged for copying requests. The fact sheet for the draft 
general permit sets forth principal facts and the significant factual, 
legal, methodological and policy questions considered in the 
development of the draft permit and is available upon request. A brief 
summary is provided as supplementary information below.

FOR FURTHER INFORMATION CONTACT: Additional information concerning the 
draft NCCW GP may be obtained between the hours of 9 a.m. and 5 p.m. 
Monday through Friday, excluding holidays, from Suzanne Warner, Office 
of Ecosystem Protection, 5 Post Office Square--Suite 100, Boston, MA 
02109-3912; telephone: 617-918-1383; email: [email protected].

SUPPLEMENTARY INFORMATION: 
    EPA is proposing to reissue two draft general permits for non-
contact cooling water discharges from facilities located in 
Massachusetts and New Hampshire. While the draft general permits are 
two distinct permits, for convenience, EPA has grouped them together in 
a single document and has provided a single fact sheet for the two 
draft general permits. This document refers to the draft general 
``permit'' in the singular. The draft general permit, appendices and 
fact sheet are available at: http://www.epa.gov/region1/npdes/nccwgp.html.
    The draft general permit establishes Notice of Intent (NOI) 
requirements, effluent limitations, standards, prohibitions, and in 
some cases best technology available (BTA) requirements for facilities 
that discharge small amounts of non-contact cooling water in 
Massachusetts and New Hampshire.
    The draft permit includes effluent limitations based on best 
professional judgment (BPJ) and water quality considerations. The 
effluent limits established in the draft permit assure that the surface 
water quality standards of the receiving water are maintained and/or 
attained.
    Non-contact cooling water is water used for cooling that does not 
come into contact with any raw material, intermediate product, waste 
product, or finished product; the only anticipated pollutant is heat. 
Discharges composed of anything other than non-contact cooling water 
will not be granted coverage under this general permit. Those 
dischargers must seek coverage

[[Page 28510]]

under an individual permit or an appropriate general permit.
    The permit also contains BTA requirements for cooling water intake 
structures for facilities that withdraw less than 1 MGD of surface 
water for non-contact cooling in order to ensure source water 
protection. For facilities that use groundwater or municipal drinking 
water for non-contact cooling, the permit establishes effluent 
limitations and/or additional monitoring for expected constituents 
(metals and residual chlorine, respectively).

Other Legal Requirements

Endangered Species Act (ESA)

    EPA has updated the provisions and necessary actions and 
documentation related to potential impacts to endangered species from 
facilities seeking coverage under the NCCW GP. EPA has requested 
concurrence from the appropriate federal services (U.S. Fish and 
Wildlife Service and National Marine Fisheries Service) in connection 
with this draft permit.

National Historic Preservation Act (NHPA)

    In accordance with NHPA, EPA has established provisions and 
documentation requirements for facilities seeking coverage under the 
NCCW GP to ensure that discharges or actions taken under this permit 
will not adversely affect historic properties and places. EPA has 
requested concurrence from the appropriate state historic preservation 
officers (SHPOs) with the draft permit.

    Authority:  This action is being taken under the Clean Water 
Act, 33 U.S.C. 1251 et seq.

    Dated: May 8, 2014.
Deborah Szaro,
Deputy Regional Administrator.
[FR Doc. 2014-11427 Filed 5-15-14; 8:45 am]
BILLING CODE 6560-50-P