PUBLIC NOTICE
Proposed Air Quality Permit 6347-R1 – District of Columbia Water and Sewer Authority (DC Water), enhanced nitrogen removal (ENR) equipment at the Blue Plains Wastewater Treatment Plant at 5000 Overlook Ave SW
Notice is hereby given that, pursuant to 40 C.F.R. Part 51.161, and D.C. Official Code §2-505, the Air Quality Division (AQD) of the District Department of the Environment (DDOE), located at 1200 First Street NE, 5th Floor, Washington, DC, intends to issue Permit #6347-R1 to the District of Columbia Water and Sewer Authority (DC Water) to renew and update the permit construct the Enhanced Nitrogen Removal (ENR) equipment listed below, located at the Blue Plains Advanced Wastewater Treatment Plant at 5000 Overlook Avenue SW, Washington, DC. The contact person for the facility is Meena Gowda, Principal Counsel at (202) 787-2628.
ENR Equipment to be Permitted
The project consists of the following significant components:
- Denitrification Carbon Storage and Feed System:
- Two (2) new Denitrification Carbon Methanol Vapor Scrubbers (DCMVS 1 and 2);
- Four (4) new 60,000 gallon Denitrification Carbon Storage Tanks (DCST 1, 2, 3, and 4);
- Three (3) Denitrification Carbon Storage Tanks Mixing Pumps;
- Four (4) Denitification Carbon Feed Pumps;
- Four (4) Denitrification Carbon Transfer Pumps;
- Eight (8) Denitrification Reactors and two (2) post aeration tanks; and
- Three (3) Methanol Unloading Pumps.
- Alternate Carbon Storage and Feed System:
- Two (2) new Alternate Carbon Methanol Vapor Scrubbers (ACMVS 1 and 2);
- One (1) new 30,000 gallon Alternate Carbon Storage Tank (ACST-1);
- Two (2) Alternate Carbon Unloading Pumps; and
- Five (5) Alternate Carbon Mixing and Transfer Pumps.
- Blended Alternate Carbon (BAC) Storage and Feed System:
- Three (3) Blended Alternate Carbon Mixing Pumps;
- Two (2) Blended Alternate Carbon Transfer Pumps;
- Two (2) new Blended Alternate Carbon Feed Pumps;
- One (1) 30,000 gallon Alternate Carbon Blend Storage Tank (ACST-2);
- Three (3) 10,000 gallon Blended Alternate Carbon Storage Tanks (MST 5, 6, and 7) for storage of methanol or a blend (already existing); and
- One (1) 650 gallon day tank for use with BAC or methanol (already existing).
- Demolition of the Lime Building and Four (4) Underground Storage Tanks
The primary control devices consist of the following:
Emissions Control Device |
|||
|---|---|---|---|
|
Scrubber ID |
Number |
Scrubber Name |
Description |
|
DCMVS |
1, 2 |
Packed Tower Scrubber |
Two (2) Duall Packed Tower Carbon Methanol Vapor Scrubbers used to control emissions of methanol by a factor of 99.0% from DCST 1, 2, 3, and 4. |
|
ACMVS |
1, 2 |
Packed Tower Scrubber |
Two (2) Duall Packed Tower Alternate Carbon Methanol Vapor Scrubbers used to control emissions of methanol by a factor of 99.0% from ACST 1 and 2 as well as MST 5, 6, and 7 and the 650 gallon day tank. |
The proposed emission limits are as follows:
a. Visible emissions shall not be emitted into the outdoor atmosphere from each of the emission units and control equiopment,, except that discharges not exceeding forty percent (40%) opacity (unaveraged) shall be permitted for two (2) minutes in any sixty (60) minute period and for an aggregate of twelve (12) minutes in any twenty-four hour (24 hr.) period during start-up, cleaning, adjustment of combustion controls, or malfunction of the equipment [20 DCMR 606.1]
b. An emission into the atmosphere of odorous or other air pollutants from any source in any quantity and of any characteristic, and duration which is, or is likely to be injurious to the public health or welfare, or which interferes with the reasonable enjoyment of life or property is prohibited. [20 DCMR 903.1].
c. The Permittee shall ensure that the vented methanol control system and handling procedures, and the closed vent system of the DCST at the facility are consistent with the optimal operation of the methanol scrubbing system so as to achieve a removal efficiency of at least 99.0 percent of methanol vapors from the storage tanks exhaust streams (including both working and breathing losses) so as to achieve a maximum methanol outlet concentration of 980 ppmv. [20 DCMR 201]
The application documentation to construct the Enhanced Nitrogen Removal system and the draft permit and supporting documents are available for public inspection at AQD and copies may be made available between the hours of 8:15 A.M. and 4:45 P.M. Monday through Friday. Interested parties wishing to view these documents should provide their names, addresses, telephone numbers and affiliation, if any, to Stephen S. Ours at (202) 535-1747.
Interested persons may submit written comments or may request a hearing on this subject within 30 days of publication of this notice. The written comments must also include the person’s name, telephone number, affiliation, if any, mailing address and a statement outlining the air quality issues in dispute and any facts underscoring those air quality issues. All relevant comments will be considered in issuing the final permit.
Comments on the proposed permit and any request for a public hearing should be addressed to:
Stephen S. Ours
Chief, Permitting Branch - Air Quality Division
District Department of the Environment
1200 First Street NE, 5th Floor
Washington, DC 20002
No written comments or hearing requests postmarked after December 23, 2013 will be accepted.
For more information, please contact Stephen S. Ours at (202) 535-1747
