Upstate Forever Letter to EPA on South Carolina Court's NPDES Permit Alteration
A recent ruling by the South Carolina Administrative Law Court in the case of Easley Combined Utilities (ECU) v. South Carolina Department of Health and Environmental Control (DHEC) will require South Carolina DHEC to revise Easley Combined Utility's NPDES permit in such a way that allows up to 10% of the effluent samples to exceed the maximum daily fecal coliform standard with impunity. Such an allowance would clearly contravene the Clean Water Act and should not be permitted by EPA. Allowing 10% of fecal coliform samples to exceed the daily maximum standard during a 30 day period will degrade water quality and endanger the health of our recreational users. The revisions will also make it more difficult for DHEC to protect designated uses of the State's waters. Upstate Forever recently submitted a letter to Mr. James Giattina, Director of EPA Region 4's Water Protection Division urging EPA to exercise its authority under the Clean Water Act to object to DHEC's revised permit for ECU that contains the 10% provision, and to issue a revised permit without the provision. Read the full letter.
