Piney Point Update – April 28, 2023
Today, the Florida Department of Environmental Protection (DEP) issued a Notice of Draft Permit for the renewal of the wastewater National Pollutant Discharge Elimination System (NPDES) permit for the Piney Point facility. Renewal of this permit was requested by the court-appointed receiver to update the facility’s prior permit to reflect the receiver’s ongoing closure work at the site and the required management of non-contact stormwater from the site’s existing permitted surface water discharge. The draft permit includes discharge limits, including for nutrients to ensure protection of Tampa Bay, as well as monthly and quarterly monitoring and reporting requirements to ensure compliance with permit conditions.
Public comment is a valued and important part of any DEP permitting process. The Notice of Draft Permit includes a 30-day public comment period.
DEP will continue performing its stringent regulatory oversight of the facility to ensure this is the last chapter in the long history of Piney Point. DEP is committed to working with the receiver to ensure that progress towards closure is done as expeditiously as possible.
Key status updates and response activities (bolded and underlined language reflects changes):
- The site received 2.4 inches of rain this month. Piney Point has received approximately 4.1 inches of rain since Jan. 1, 2023. In response to rain events, clean, non-contact stormwater will be conveyed as needed through the site's permitted outfall along Buckeye Road. Samples are collected at the permitted outfall during runoff events to confirm the stormwater meets the requirements of its permit.
- The current storage capacity for additional rainfall at the site is approximately 38.5 inches. This capacity is expected to change with rainfall amounts, as well as adjusted water management activities at the site.
- As part of the site's water management efforts, piping of water to the North Regional Water Reclamation Facility resumed and to date, 55,242,071 gallons have been transferred. Spray evaporation also resumed in the NGS-North compartment.
- Manatee County began receiving non-hazardous industrial wastewater from the site on April 4, 2023, for disposal in its Underground Injection Control Well along Buckeye Road and to date, 20,082,840 gallons have been transferred. This project is one critical element of the necessary water disposal that will enable the ultimate closure of the Piney Point facility once and for all, permanently eliminating the threat from this site to the environment and the community.
- Approximately 236 million gallons are currently held within the NGS-South compartment. Pond level readings are expected to fluctuate due to a host of factors, including wind/associated waves in the pond, rainfall and water management activities.
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