Public Notice of Mercury Pollutant Minimization Program Plan (PMPP)
Butler's NPDES Permit, Part I.A.3-Table 4, effective September 1, 2011 and expiring on August 31, 2016, contains interim and final effluent limits for mercury as illustrated in the following.
Table 1 - NPDES Permit Requirements
| Quantity / Loading | Units | Quality / Concentration | Units | Monitoring Requirements | ||||
| Mercury | Monthly Average | DailyMaximum | Monthly Average | DailyMaximum | MeasurementFrequency | Sample Type | ||
| Interim | Report | lbs/day | Report | ng/L | 6 X Annually | Grab | ||
| Final | 0.000022 | 0.000053 | lbs/day | 1.3 | 3.2 | ng/L | 6 X Annually | Grab |
The Permit, Part I.A.4.a - Table 5, also requires that the influent wastewater be sampled for mercury at the same frequency as the effluent. The permit requires that mercury in the influent and effluent be sampled in February, April, June, August, October and December of each year.
Butler’s previous permit, effective October 1, 2005, contained interim effluent limit and influent monitoring requirements of parameter measurement six times annually and report only. Accordingly, Butler has been collecting influent and effluent mercury data for NPDES Permit compliance purposes since October 2005. In fact, Butler initiated mercury data collection in anticipation of the permit requirements in November 2003. Thus, Butler has several years of influent and effluent data to support the observations, conclusions and recommendations in this document. In addition to the influent and effluent wastewater data, Butler also collected data for mercury in the receiving stream (Big Run Ditch).
(1) Name of Applicant
City of Butler, Wastewater Department, 695 East Green Street, Butler, IN 46721
(2) Purpose of Pollutant Minimization Program Plan
The PMPP is to reduce, if possible, sources of mercury into the Butler wastewater system.
(3) Description of the activities or operations that result in the discharge for which an SMV is being requested:
There are no known or identified significant sources that discharge mercury into the Butler wastewater system. The Butler WWTP effluent averages less than 1.5 nanograms per liter (ng/L) of mercury and can meet the proposed final daily maximum effluent limit (3.2 ng/L) about 90% of the time. The average daily maximum also calculates as the monthly average since only one (1) grab sample is collected once every other month. This means that the proposed final monthly average effluent limit would only be met about 50% of the time. The data collected since 2005 also indicates that the state water quality standard for mercury (1.3 ng/L) is met less than 10% of the time in the receiving stream (Big Run Ditch) upstream and downstream of the Butler Wastewater Treatment plant effluent discharge point. The data further indicates that there is no negative effect of the Butler effluent discharge on the mercury concentration in the Big Run Ditch.
(4) Purpose of this notice and the comment procedures
This notice is to allow citizens and potentially affected parties the opportunity to provide comment on the Butler Pollutant Management Plan (PMPP) for Mercury.
(5) Contact person, mailing address / internet address and telephone number where interested persons may obtain additional information and a copy of the PMPP:
Contact:
Ted Miller or Brian Moore at the Butler WWTP, 695 East Green Street, Butler, IN 46721
E-Mail: tedwwtp@butler.in.us or brianwwtp@butler.in.usPhone: 260-868-2805
Copies of the PMPP are available at:
1. Butler City Hall / Utility Office (between 9 AM and 3 PM)
215 South Broadway
Butler, IN 46721
2. Butler Public Library (during the hours open)
340 South Broadway
Butler, Indiana
3. Butler Wastewater Treatment Plant (between 9 AM and 3 PM)
695 South Green Street
Butler, Indiana 46721