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portal.ct.gov/DEEP
National Pollutant Discharge Elimination System Permit
issued to
Permittee: Location Address:
Plainfield Renewable Energy, LLC 12 Mill Brook Road
12 Mill Brook Road Plainfield, CT 06374
Plainfield, CT 06374
Permit ID: CT0030473 Effective Date: [1st of the month following signing]
Receiving Waterbody: Quinebaug River Issuance Date: [date of signature]
Receiving Waterbody ID: CT3700-00_02 Permit Expires: [5 yrs after effective date]
SECTION 1: GENERAL PROVISIONS
1.1 This permit is reissued in accordance with Section 22a-430 of Chapter 446k, Connecticut General
Statutes (“Conn. Gen. Stat.”), and Regulations of Connecticut State Agencies (“Regs. Conn. State
Agencies”) adopted thereunder, as amended, and Section 402(b) of the Clean Water Act (“CWA”),
as amended, 33 USC 1251, et. seq., and pursuant to an approval dated September 26, 1973, by the
Administrator of the United States Environmental Protection Agency for the State of Connecticut to
administer a National Pollutant Discharge Elimination System (“NPDES”) permit program.
1.2 Plainfield Renewable Energy, LLC (“Permittee”) shall comply with all conditions of this permit
including the following sections of the Regs. Conn. State Agencies which have been adopted
pursuant to Section 22a-430 of the Conn. Gen. Stat. and are hereby incorporated into this permit.
Your attention is especially drawn to the notification requirements of subsections (i)(2), (i)(3), (j)(1),
(j)(6), (j)(8), (j)(9)(C), (j)(10)(C), (j)(11)(C), (D), (E), and (F), (k)(3) and (4) and ( l)(2) of Section
22a-430-3.
Section 22a-430-3: General Conditions
(a) Definitions
(b) General
(c) Inspection and Entry
(d) Effect of a Permit
(e) Duty to Comply
(f) Proper Operation and Maintenance
(g) Sludge Disposal
(h) Duty to Mitigate
(i) Facility Modifications; Notification
(j) Monitoring, Records and Reporting Requirements
(k) Bypass
(m) Effluent Limitation Violations (Upsets)
(n) Enforcement
(o) Resource Conservation
(p) Spill Prevention and Control
(q) Instrumentation, Alarms, Flow Recorders
(r) Equalization
PERMIT No. CT0030473 and SP0002464 Page 1
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Section 22a-430-4: Procedures and Criteria
(a) Duty to Apply
(b) Duty to Reapply
(c) Application Requirements
(d) Preliminary Review
(e) Tentative Determination
(f) Draft Permits, Fact Sheets
(g) Public Notice, Notice of Hearing
(h) Public Comments
(i) Final Determination
(j) Public Hearings
(k) Submission of Plans and Specifications, Approval
(l) Establishing Effluent Limitations and Conditions
(m) Case by Case Determinations
(n) Permit Issuance or Renewal
(o) Permit Transfer
(p) Permit Revocation, Denial or Modification
(q) Variances
(s) Treatment Requirements
1.3 Violations of any of the terms, conditions, or limitations contained in this permit may subject the
Permittee to enforcement action including, but not limited to, seeking penalties, injunctions and/or
forfeitures pursuant to applicable sections of the Conn. Gen. Stat. and Regs. Conn. State Agencies.
1.4 Any false statement in any information submitted pursuant to this permit may be punishable as a
criminal offense under Section 22a-438 or 22a-131a of the Conn. Gen. Stat. or in accordance with
Section 22a-6, under Section 53a-157b of the Conn. Gen. Stat.
1.5 The authorization to discharge under this permit may not be transferred without prior written
approval of the Commissioner of Energy and Environmental Protection (“Commissioner”). To
request such approval, the Permittee and proposed transferee shall register such proposed transfer
with the Commissioner, at least thirty (30) days prior to the transferee becoming legally responsible
for creating or maintaining any discharge which is the subject of the permit transfer. Failure, by the
transferee, to obtain the Commissioner's approval prior to commencing such discharge(s) may
subject the transferee to enforcement action for discharging without a permit pursuant to applicable
sections of the Conn. Gen. Stat. and Regs. Conn. State Agencies.
1.6 No provision of this permit and no action or inaction by the Commissioner shall be construed to
constitute an assurance by the Commissioner that the actions taken by the Permittee pursuant to this
permit will result in compliance or prevent or abate pollution.
1.7 Nothing in this permit shall relieve the Permittee of other obligations under applicable federal, state
and local law.
1.8 An annual fee shall be paid for each year this permit is in effect as set forth in Section 22a-430-7 of
the Regs. Conn. State Agencies.
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1.9 The Permittee shall operate and maintain its collection and treatment system in accordance with its
Operation and Maintenance Plan and with any approvals issued in accordance with Regs. Conn.
State Agencies Section 22a-430-3(i)(3). The Permittee shall revise and maintain the Operation and
Maintenance Plan upon the Commissioner’s request or to address equipment or operational changes
in accordance with Regs. Conn. State Agencies Section 22a-430-3(f)(2).
1.10 The Permittee shall implement its Spill Prevention and Control Plan in accordance with Regs. Conn.
State Agencies Section 22a-430-3(p) and 22a-430-4(c)(10). The plan shall include practices,
procedures and facilities designed to prevent, minimize and control spills, leaks or such other
unplanned releases of all toxic or hazardous substances and any other substances to prevent pollution
of the waters of the state. Such requirements shall, unless otherwise allowed by the Commissioner,
apply to all facilities used for storing, handling, transferring, loading or unloading such substances,
including manufacturing areas. The Permittee shall revise and maintain the Spill Prevention and
Control Plan upon the Commissioner’s request to address equipment or operational changes.
SECTION 2: DEFINITIONS
2.1 The definitions of the terms used in this permit shall be the same as the definitions contained in
Section 22a-423 of the Conn. Gen. Stat. and Section 22a-430-3(a) and 22a-430-6 of the Regs. Conn.
State Agencies.
2.2 In addition to the above, the following definitions shall apply to this permit:
“40 CFR” means Title 40 of the Code of Federal Regulations.
“Annually” when used as a sampling frequency in Table A of this permit, means that
sampling is required in the month of March, and in Table C, means that sampling is required
in the month of July, August or September.
“Average Monthly Limit” means the maximum allowable “Average Monthly Concentration”
as defined in Section 22a-430-3(a) of the Regs. Conn. State Agencies when expressed as a
concentration (e.g., mg/l). Otherwise, it means “Average Monthly Discharge Limitation” as
defined in Section 22a-430-3(a) of the Regs. Conn. State Agencies .
“Cooling water intake structure” means the total physical structure and any associated
constructed waterways used to withdraw cooling water from waters of the state. The cooling
water intake structure extends from the point at which water is withdrawn from the surface
water source up to, and including, the intake pumps.
Connecticut Water Quality Standards means the regulations adopted under Regs. Conn.
State Agencies Sections 22a-426-1 through 22a-426-9, as amended.
“Daily Concentration” means the concentration of a substance as measured in a daily
composite sample, or the arithmetic average of all grab sample results defining a grab
sample average.
“Daily Quantity” means the quantity of waste discharged during an operating day.
“Dilution Factor” means the inverse of the “Instream Waste Concentration”.
“DMR” means Discharge Monitoring Report.
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“IC” means “Inhibition Concentration”.
“IC25” means a point estimate of the toxicant concentration that would cause a twenty-five
(25) percent reduction in a non-lethal biological measurement of the test organism, such as
reproduction or growth.
“Instantaneous Limit” means the highest allowable concentration of a substance as measured
by a grab sample, or the highest allowable measurement of a parameter as obtained through
instantaneous monitoring.
“In-stream Waste Concentration” (“IWC%”) means the concentration (as a percent) of the
effluent in the receiving water.
“LC” means Lethal Concentration
“LC50” means the concentration lethal to fifty (50) percent of the test organisms during a
specific period.
“Lowest Observed Effect Concentration” (“LOEC”) means the lowest concentration of an
effluent or toxicant to which organisms are exposed in a life cycle or partial life-cycle test,
which causes adverse effects on the test organisms.
“Maximum Daily Limit” means the maximum allowable “Daily Concentration” (defined
above) when expressed as a concentration (e.g., mg/l). Otherwise, it means the maximum
allowable “Daily Quantity” as defined above, unless it is expressed as a flow quantity. If
expressed as a flow quantity, it means “Maximum Daily Flow” as defined in Section 22a-
430-3(a) of the Regs. Conn. State Agencies.
“No Observed Effect Concentration” (“NOEC”) means the highest concentration of an
effluent or toxicant to which organisms are exposed in a life cycle or partial life-cycle test,
that causes no observable adverse effects on the test organisms.
“Quarter” means the calendar quarter beginning at 12:00 AM on the first day of March,
June, September, and December and ending at 12:00 AM on the first day of June,
September, December, and March, respectively.
“Quarterly”, when used as a sampling frequency in this permit, means that sampling is
required in the months of March, June, September, and December.
“Range During Sampling” (“RDS”), as a sample type, means the maximum and minimum of
all values recorded as a result of analyzing each grab sample of: 1) a Composite Sample or,
2) a Grab Sample Average. For those permittees with continuous monitoring and recording
pH meters, Range During Sampling means the maximum and minimum readings recorded
with the continuous monitoring device during the Composite or Grab Sample Average
sample collection.
“Reporting Frequency” means the frequency at which monitoring results must be provided.
DRAFT PERMIT No. CT0030473 and SP0002464 Page 4
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SECTION 3: COMMISSIONER'S DECISION
3.1 The Commissioner has issued a final determination and found that 1) with respect to the discharge,
DSN 101-1, continuance of the existing system to treat the discharge would protect the waters of the
state from pollution; and 2) with respect to discharges, DSN 102-1, DSN 103-1 and DSN 104-1,
continuance of the existing discharges would not cause pollution of the waters of the state. The
Commissioner’s decision is based on Application No. 201801971 for permit reissuance received on
February 28, 2018, and the administrative record established in the processing of that application.
3.2 Upon the effective date of this permit and continuing until this permit expires or is modified or
revoked, the Commissioner hereby authorizes the Permittee to discharge in accordance with the
terms and conditions of this permit, the information provided in Application No. 201801971,
received by the Commissioner on February 28, 2018, the administrative record established in the
processing of that application, and all modifications and approvals issued by the Commissioner or
the Commissioner’s authorized agent, for the discharge and/or activities authorized by, or associated
with this Permit.
3.3 The Commissioner reserves the right to make appropriate revisions to the permit in order to establish
any appropriate effluent limitations, schedules of compliance, or other provisions which may be
authorized under the Federal Clean Water Act or the Conn. Gen. Stat. or regulations adopted
thereunder, as amended. The permit as modified or renewed under this paragraph may also contain
any other requirements of the Federal Clean Water Act or the Conn. Gen. Stat. or regulations
adopted thereunder which are then applicable.
3.4 This permit includes an interim determination regarding Section 316(a) of the Federal Water
Pollution Control Act 33 U.S.C. § 1326(a) regarding the thermal component of the discharge, and
compliance with this permit is sufficient to assure the protection and propagation of a balanced
indigenous population of shellfish, fish, and wildlife in and on the receiving waters.
3.5 This permit also contains a determination under Section 316(b) of the Federal Water Pollution
Control Act, 33 U.S.C. § 1326(b) regarding cooling water intake structures and Conn. Gen. Stat. §
22a-430(a), and compliance with this permit is sufficient to assure the protection and propagation of
a balanced indigenous population of shellfish, fish, and wildlife in and on the receiving waters.
Based on the evaluation detailed in the fact sheet, DEEP has determined that the facility employs
BTA pursuant to 40 CFR § 125.90(b).
3.6 Nothing in this permit authorizes take for the purposes of a facility's compliance with the
Endangered Species Act.
SECTION 4: GENERAL EFFLUENT LIMITATIONS
4.1 The Permittee shall assure that the surface water affected by the subject discharge shall conform to
the Connecticut Water Quality Standards (“WQS”).
4.2 No discharge shall contain, or cause in the receiving stream, a visible oil sheen or floating solids, or
cause visible discoloration or foaming in the receiving stream.
4.3 No discharge shall cause acute or chronic toxicity in the receiving water body beyond any zone of
influence specifically allocated to that discharge in this permit.
4.4 The temperature of any discharge shall not increase the temperature of the receiving stream above 85
°F, or in any case, raise the temperature of the receiving stream by more than 4 °F.
DRAFT PERMIT No. CT0030473 and SP0002464 Page 5
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4.5 The Permittee is prohibited from discharging polychlorinated biphenyl compounds such as those
commonly used for transformer fluid.
4.6 The Permittee is prohibited from using any chemical(s) that contain phosphorus in any process or
activity that may result in a discharge to the waters of the state.
SECTION 5: SPECIFIC EFFLUENT LIMITATIONS AND MONITORING REQUIREMENTS
5.1 The discharge is restricted by and shall be monitored in accordance with the following tables in this
section. The wastewater discharge shall not exceed the effluent limitations in these tables and shall
otherwise conform to the specific terms and conditions listed in the tables. The Permittee shall
comply with the “Remarks” and “Footnotes” noted in the tables that follow. Such remarks and
footnotes are enforceable like any other term or condition of this permit.
5.2 The wastewaters authorized/approved by this permit shall be collected, treated, and discharged in
accordance with this permit and with any approvals issued by the Commissioner or his/her
authorized agent for the discharges and activities authorized by or associated with this permit. Any
wastewater discharges not expressly identified in these tables or otherwise approved to be discharged
by this permit shall not be authorized by this permit.
5.3 All samples shall be comprised of only the wastewater described in these tables. Samples shall be
collected prior to combination with receiving waters or wastewater of any other type, and after all
approved treatment units, if applicable. Samples and measurements taken for the purpose of
monitoring shall be representative of the monitored activity. Collection of permit-required effluent
samples in any location other than the authorized location noted in this permit shall be a violation of
this permit.
5.4 In cases where limits and sample type are specified but sampling is not required by this permit, the
limits specified shall apply to all samples which may be collected and analyzed by the Department of
Energy and Environmental Protection (“DEEP”) personnel, the Permittee, or other parties.
5.5 The Permittee shall operate and maintain the outdoor wood storage area in accordance with “Section
A.4 Stormwater Management – Outdoor Wood Storage Area” of the response to comment report
dated February 19, 2008.
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TABLE A
Discharge Serial Number: DSN 101-1 Monitoring Location: 1 (External outfall)
Wastewater Description: Treated cooling tower blowdown wastewater Outfall Location: Latitude (41° 39’ 35”) and Longitude (71° 57’ 49”)
Monitoring Location Description: At the powerhouse prior to the discharge line exiting the facility Discharge is to: Quinebaug River
Allocated Zone of Influence: 137,750 gallons per hour Instream Waste Concentration for acute criteria: 5.4%
Instream Waste Concentration for chronic criteria: 3.67%
FLOW/TIME BASED MONITORING INSTANTANEOUS MONITORING MINI-
NET Instantaneous Sample Type or MUM
PARAMETER DMR UNITS Average Maximum Sample/ Sample Type or Limit or Sample/ Measurement to LEVEL 2
CODE Monthly Daily Reporting Measurement to be Required Reporting be Reported (µg/l)
Limit Limit Frequency 1 Reported Range Frequency 1
Aluminum, Total 01105 mg/L 1.42 2.86 Weekly Daily Composite 4.29 NR Grab 10.0
Aluminum, Total 01105 kg/d 0.68 1.36 Weekly Daily Composite NA NR Grab 10.0
Ammonia (as N) 00610 mg/L --- --- Weekly Daily Composite --- NR NA
Ammonia (as N) 00610 kg/d --- --- Weekly Daily Composite NA NR NA
Boron 01022 mg/l --- --- Weekly Daily Composite NA NR NA
Chlorine, Total Residual 50060 mg/L 0.14 0.33 Weekly Grab Sample Average 0.497 NR Grab 20.0
Chromium, Total 01034 mg/L --- --- Weekly Daily Composite NA NR NR 5.0
Copper, Total 01042 mg/L 0.096 0.190 Weekly Daily Composite 0.288 NR Grab 3.0
Copper, Total 01042 kg/d 0.046 0.091 Weekly Daily Composite NA NR NA 3.0
Flow Rate (Average Daily)3 00056 gpd 126,103 NA Weekly Total Daily Flow NA NR NA
Flow, Maximum during 24-hr period3 50047 gpd NA 173,571 Weekly Total Daily Flow NA NR NA
Iron, Total 01045 mg/L --- --- Weekly Daily Composite --- NR NA 100.0
Kjeldahl Nitrogen, Total (as N) 00625 mg/L --- --- Weekly Daily Composite NA NR NR
Lead, Total 01051 mg/L 0.019 0.039 Weekly Daily Composite 0.058 NR Grab 1.0
Lead, Total 01051 kg/d 0.009 0.019 Weekly Daily Composite NA NR NR 1.0
Nitrate (as N) 00620 mg/L --- --- Weekly Daily Composite NA NR NR
Nitrite (as N) 00615 mg/L --- --- Weekly Daily Composite NA NR NR
Nitrogen, Total [See Remark e] 00600 lbs/day --- --- Weekly Calculated NA NR NR
pH, Minimum 61942 S.U. NA NA NR NA 6.0 Continuous Continuous
(Ends 12 months after permit’s
effective date)
pH, Maximum 61941 S.U. NA NA NR NA 9.0 Continuous Continuous
(Ends 12 months after permit’s
effective date)
Phosphorus, Total 00665 mg/l --- --- Monthly Daily Composite NA NR NR 100.0
Temperature, Maximum 00011 oF NA NA NR NA 90 Hourly Instantaneous
Temperature, intake/outlet differential 61576 oF NA NA NR NA --- Hourly Instantaneous
Total Suspended Solids 00530 mg/L 20 30 Weekly Daily Composite 45 NR Grab
Zinc, Total 01092 mg/L 0.64 1.30 Weekly Daily Composite 1.95 NR Grab 10.0
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TABLE A
Discharge Serial Number: DSN 101-1 Monitoring Location: 1 (External outfall)
Wastewater Description: Treated cooling tower blowdown wastewater Outfall Location: Latitude (41° 39’ 35”) and Longitude (71° 57’ 49”)
Monitoring Location Description: At the powerhouse prior to the discharge line exiting the facility Discharge is to: Quinebaug River
Allocated Zone of Influence: 137,750 gallons per hour Instream Waste Concentration for acute criteria: 5.4%
Instream Waste Concentration for chronic criteria: 3.67%
FLOW/TIME BASED MONITORING INSTANTANEOUS MONITORING MINI-
NET Instantaneous Sample Type or MUM
PARAMETER DMR UNITS Average Maximum Sample/ Sample Type or Limit or Sample/ Measurement to LEVEL 2
CODE Monthly Daily Reporting Measurement to be Required Reporting be Reported (µg/l)
Limit Limit Frequency 1 Reported Range Frequency 1
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