Category Archives: Arizona Department of Environmental Quality

ADEQ Awards $275,000 Environmental Stewardship Grant for Oak Creek

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ADEQ logo resizedPHOENIX — The Arizona Department of Environmental Quality (ADEQ) announced today that a $275,000 grant has been awarded to the Oak Creek Watershed Council (OCWC) for continued educational outreach and cleanup efforts of the Water Quality Ambassadors program in Yavapai County.

ADEQ’s third grant in support of the ambassadors program has two goals in addressing polluted runoff to Oak Creek: measure the positive outcomes from the prior two grant awards and establish the foundation for a self-sustaining program. Oak Creek, from its headwaters to its confluence with Spring Creek in Oak Creek Canyon, is listed as impaired for E. coli.

“ADEQ’s role is not only to ensure compliance with environmental regulations but also to educate Arizona’s citizens and its visitors about how they can make a positive impact,” ADEQ Director Henry Darwin said. “The Water Quality Ambassadors program grant demonstrates our commitment to funding partnerships with local non-profit organizations to foster hands-on environmental education for Arizonans.”

With this grant, ADEQ will fund eight ambassadors who will continue face-to-face educational outreach in the area, waste removal and volunteer coordination to solidify the program for the future. To date, the ambassadors program has removed nearly three tons of trash from frequently visited Oak Creek recreational areas.

Traffic shift scheduled Tuesday on SR 89 at Road 4 North in Chino Valley

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CHINO VALLEY — Motorists traveling along State Route 89 in Chino Valley need to be aware of a traffic shift that will occur on Tuesday, May 26 as the Arizona Department of Transportation continues constructing the new roundabout at the intersection at Road 4 North.

Traffic will be shifted from the east side to the west side of SR 89 at Road 4 North in Chino Valley and the new configuration will be in place for the next three months.

The work zone will be clearly marked by temporary barricades and signage. ADOT advises drivers to be aware of the new alignment, allow additional travel time to reach their destinations and be alert for construction equipment and personnel. Weather can affect a project schedule.

This $2.1 million project consists of a new roundabout at the intersection of SR 89 and Road 4 North between mileposts 330-331. Additional work includes removal and replacement of existing pavement, drainage improvements, new pavement markings and lighting.

This project is expected to be complete by August.

MESA: Proposed Arizona Pollutant Discharge Elimination System (AZPDES) Renewal Permit

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Pursuant to the Clean Water Act and in accordance with Arizona Administrative Code (A.A.C.) R18-9-A907, the Director of the Arizona Department of Environmental Quality (ADEQ) proposes to issue an Arizona Pollutant Discharge Elimination System (AZPDES) Permit to discharge pollutants to Waters of the United States to the following applicant, subject to certain effluent limitations and special conditions:

Public Notice No. 15-58                                                      Published on May 21, 2015
Published in East Valley Tribune

AZPDES Permit No. AZ0025241
City of Mesa Water Resources
Greenfield Water Reclamation Plant (GWRP)
P.O. Box 1466
Mesa, Arizona 85211-1466

The City of Mesa applied for a renewal AZPDES permit for the proposed discharge of up to 16 million gallons per day (mgd) of from the GWRP to the East Maricopa Floodway, tributary to the Gila River in the Middle Gila River Basin in Township 2 S, Range 6 E, Section 15, in Maricopa County, Arizona. The GWRP is a publicly owned treatment works that receives domestic wastewater from residential, commercial, and industrial sources in the City of Mesa and the Towns of Queen Creek and Gilbert. Sludge is treated on-site and then either hauled by a licensed contractor to the Apache Junction Landfill or land applied as Class B Biosolids, with the back-up capability to pump and discharge to the Baseline Interceptor and send to the City of Phoenix 91st Avenue WWTP for treatment.

The permit and fact sheet may be viewed online at http://www.azdeq.gov/cgi-bin/vertical.pl by typing the permit number in the box left of “Search Event”. The public notice and related documentation also are available for public review, Monday through Friday, 8:30 a.m. to 4:30 p.m., at the ADEQ Records Center, 1110 W. Washington St., Phoenix, Arizona, 85007. In Phoenix, please call (602) 771-4380 or e-mail recordscenter@azdeq.gov 24 hours in advance to schedule an appointment to review the file.

Persons may submit comments or request a public hearing on the proposed action in writing, to Jacqueline Maye, Arizona Department of Environmental Quality, Water Quality Division, 1110 W. Washington St., 5415B-3, Phoenix, Arizona 85007. All written comments received by ADEQ by the close of business on the date 30 days after publication of this notice will be considered in the final permit decision. A public hearing request must be in writing and must include the reasons for such request. If there is a significant degree of public interest, the Director will hold a hearing in accordance with A.A.C. R18-9-A908(B).

Middle Gila River selenium and boron draft TMDL comment extension announced

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PHOENIX — In response to several requests, ADEQ is allowing additional time to respond to the content of the Middle Gila River Selenium and Boron TMDLs. These draft TMDLs were released on April 23rd for public comment.

In recognizing that parts of the stakeholder population may not have had time to read, consider, or respond to the TMDLs, and in support of trying to engage the largest stakeholder population that we reasonably can, ADEQ is granting a one-week extension for the submission of written comments.

A TMDL is a calculation of the maximum amount of a pollutant that a waterbody can receive and still meet water quality standards, and an allocation of that load among the various sources of that pollutant.

Formal comments must be in writing (email attachments are fine) and should be addressed to dm4@azdeq.gov or mailed to the attention of the project hydrologist Doug McCarty at ADEQ. The address is 1110 W. Washington St, Phoenix AZ 85007. Only written comments will be formally considered and responded to by the agency.

The deadline has been extended to 5:00 pm on May 29.

PROPOSED ARIZONA POLLUTANT DISCHARGE ELIMINATION SYSTEM (AZPDES) RENEWAL PERMIT

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ADEQ-2Pursuant to the Clean Water Act and in accordance with Arizona Administrative Code (A.A.C.) R18-9-A907, the Director of the Arizona Department of Environmental Quality (ADEQ) proposes to issue an Arizona Pollutant Discharge Elimination System (AZPDES) Permit to discharge pollutants to Waters of the United States to the following applicant, subject to certain effluent limitations and special conditions:

Public Notice No.15-54 Published on April 20, 2015 Published in Red Rock News

AZPDES Permit No. AZ0021807
The Sedona Venture Sewer Company
7310 N. 16th Street, Suite 165
Phoenix, AZ 85020

The Sedona Venture Sewer Company applied for a renewal AZPDES permit for the proposed discharge of up to 0.075 million gallons per day (mgd) of treated domestic wastewater from the Sedona Venture Wastewater Treatment Plant to Dry Creek, a tributary to Oak Creek in the Verde River Basin at Township 17 N, Range 5 E, Section 19, in Yavapai County, Arizona. The Wastewater Treatment Plant is a privately owned treatment works that receives domestic wastewater from residential sources in Sedona Shadows Manufactured Home Community and Sunset Hills Resort. Waste activated sludge is held in the aerobic digester for a period of 45 to 60 days and then hauled to either the Butterfield Station or N.W. Regional Municipal Solid Waste Landfill for disposal.

The permit and fact sheet may be viewed online at http://www.azdeq.gov/cgi-bin/vertical.pl by typing the permit number in the box left of “Search Event”. The public notice and related documentation also are available for public review, Monday through Friday, 8:30 a.m. to 4:30 p.m., at the ADEQ Records Center, 1110 W. Washington St., Phoenix, Arizona, 85007. In Phoenix, please call (602) 771-4380 or e-mail recordscenter@azdeq.gov 24 hours in advance to schedule an appointment to review the file.

Persons may submit comments or request a public hearing on the proposed action in writing, to Richard Mendolia, Water Permits Section, Arizona Department of Environmental Quality, Water Quality Division, 1110 W. Washington St., 5415B-3, Phoenix, Arizona 85007. All written comments received by ADEQ by the close of business on the date 30 days after publication of this notice will be considered in the final permit decision. A public hearing request must be in writing and must include the reasons for such request. If there is a significant degree of public interest, the Director will hold a hearing in accordance with A.A.C. R18-9-908(B).

ADEQ Awards $135,850 in Grants to Reduce Polluted Runoff into Upper San Pedro River

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PHOENIX — Arizona Department of Environmental Quality (ADEQ) officials announced today two grant awards totaling $135,850 to Curtis Ranch and Sands Ranch to undertake measures to protect the Upper San Pedro River in Cochise County.

The funds will be used to restore grassland and remove brush. The project work––enhancing more than 3000 acres—will improve ground cover, reduce soil erosion, increase water filtration, and slow runoff containing E. coli, which improves water quality. ADEQ’s models estimate an annual 40 percent reduction in sediments in runoff could be achieved through implementing these measures.

A 17-mile stretch of the Upper San Pedro River from the mouth of Babocomari Creek, a tributary of the San Pedro, to Dragoon Wash is listed as an impaired waterway by the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency because of elevated levels of E. coli. Septic tanks and cattle grazing operations in the area are believed to be the source of this pollution.

“This grant money will help restore water quality in one of the most beautiful and important riparian areas in the state,” ADEQ Director Henry Darwin said.

Grant recipient, Curtis Ranch L.L.C. Managing Member Forrest Metz stated, “We welcome collaboration with ADEQ’s watershed initiative to support efforts to improve the water quality of the San Pedro River through the reduction of impairments.”

These grants are two of six in Arizona this year administered by ADEQ’s Water Quality Improvement Grant program (WQIG) to reduce polluted runoff from many different sources. ADEQ’s WQIG program is funded through a partnership with the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency under the Clean Water Act.

ADEQ meeting on TMDLs in Buckeye Thursday

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BUCKEYE — The Arizona Department of Environmental Quality (ADEQ) has completed work on a Total Maximum Daily Load (TMDL) analyses for total boron and total selenium (chronic) impairing the water quality of the Middle Gila River. The TMDL analysis is a combined water quality improvement plan and pollutant budget that is designed to bring the impaired reach back to the attainment of water quality standards.

TMDL analyses are written to address point and nonpoint sources of pollution for water bodies on Arizona’s Impaired Waters list as required by the federal Clean Water Act.

A public meeting will be held at City Hall in Buckeye, Arizona on April 23, 2015 to release the draft TMDL document. The meeting will mark the beginning of a 30-day comment period for the general public.

Topics discussed at the meeting will include existing water quality conditions, the implications of impaired water quality on land uses, recreation, and aquatic habitat in the vicinity, and the status of legacy pesticide contamination of the Gila River. Actions stakeholders can take to improve water quality, and funding opportunities available for stakeholders who wish to become involved in making improvements will also be discussed.

Landowners, irrigation district personnel, treatment plant operators, local water managers, and citizens with an interest in water quality and land use issues are all welcome to attend.

Meeting Essentials
What: Final Middle Gila River Total Maximum Daily Load (TMDL) public meeting
Who: Stakeholders, citizens, and interested parties
When: 5:30 -7:00 PM, Thursday, April 23, 2015
Where: Buckeye City Hall City Council Chambers
530 E. Monroe Avenue, Buckeye, Arizona 85326

Veolia ES Technical Solutions to Pay $360,000 in Civil Penalties for Hazardous Waste Violations

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ADEQ-2PHOENIX — The Arizona Department of Environmental Quality announced today that Veolia ES Technical Solutions, LLC, of Phoenix, will pay $360,000 in civil penalties under a consent judgment for illegally disposing hazardous waste to a sand and gravel pit near the Salt River in 2009.

In response to a complaint in April 2009, ADEQ compliance officers inspected a sand and gravel pit in which they observed crushed lamps, intact fluorescent lamps, intact metal halide lamps, intact compact fluorescent lamps, and other lamp related debris in a portion of the sand and gravel pit that was less than 600 feet from the Salt River. The investigation revealed the lamps and broken glass had been generated by Veolia. Samples of the broken glass taken from the pit were found to be above regulatory thresholds for mercury.

An inspection of Veolia’s facility in May 2009 resulted in ADEQ issuing a Notice of Violation to the company for improper sampling equipment and techniques, inadequate response to high mercury samples, open containers, containers in poor condition, hazardous waste on the ground, and disposal of hazardous waste without a permit. Veolia staff also had failed to examine lab reports to verify if hazardous waste was being sent to the landfill.

Since the activities of 2009, Veolia has improved processes at their facility; and had been in compliance with its hazardous waste storage permit and related hazardous waste generator requirements during recent inspections.

“As a result of our agency’s investigation and holding the company accountable for its violations, Veolia has improved its operations and is now in compliance with all conditions of its permit, thus ensuring public health and the environment are protected,” ADEQ Director Henry Darwin said.

The settlement is subject to court approval.

Pavement maintenance on SR 89 south of Yarnell today

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Following a recent rock fall on State Route 89 south of Yarnell (mileposts 272-277), crews will repair damages tomorrow on the southbound lanes and drivers traveling southbound will be shifted onto one lane of the northbound lanes from 8 a.m. to 5 p.m. according to the Arizona Department of Transportation.

No major restrictions or delays are expected. The speed limit will be reduced to 30 mph.

Tollsen: PROPOSED ARIZONA POLLUTANT DISCHARGE ELIMINATION SYSTEM (AZPDES) RENEWAL PERMIT

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Tollsen: PROPOSED ARIZONA POLLUTANT DISCHARGE ELIMINATION SYSTEM (AZPDES) RENEWAL PERMIT

ADEQ logo resizedPursuant to the Clean Water Act and in accordance with Arizona Administrative Code (A.A.C.) R18-9-A907, the Director of the Arizona Department of Environmental Quality (ADEQ) proposes to issue an Arizona Pollutant Discharge Elimination System (AZPDES) Permit to discharge pollutants to Waters of the United States to the following applicant, subject to certain effluent limitations and special conditions:

Public Notice No.15-50                    Published on March 26, 2015
Published on Northern Arizona Gazette

AZPDES Permit No. AZ0020338
City of Tolleson Wastewater Treatment Plant
City of Tolleson
9555 W. Van Buren Street
Tolleson, AZ 85353

The City of Tolleson applied for a renewal AZPDES permit for the proposed discharge of up to 17.5 million gallons per day (mgd) of treated domestic wastewater from the City of Tolleson Wastewater Treatment Plant (WWTP) to the Salt River in the Middle Gila River Basin in Township 1 N, Range 1 E, Section 33, in Maricopa County, Arizona. The City of Tolleson WWTP is a publicly owned treatment works that receives domestic wastewater from residential, commercial, and industrial sources in the city of Tolleson and Sun City. Sludge is stabilized in an anaerobic digester and then thickened and dewatered for further treatment on-site. The biosolids are either land applied or disposed of in an approved landfill according to state rules and regulations.

The permit and fact sheet may be viewed online at http://www.azdeq.gov/cgi-bin/vertical.pl by typing the permit number in the box left of “Search Event”. The public notice and related documentation also are available for public review, Monday through Friday, 8:30 a.m. to 4:30 p.m., at the ADEQ Records Center, 1110 W. Washington St., Phoenix, Arizona, 85007. In Phoenix, please call (602) 771-4380 or e-mail recordscenter@azdeq.gov 24 hours in advance to schedule an appointment to review the file.

Persons may submit comments or request a public hearing on the proposed action in writing, to Chiou Chen, Arizona Department of Environmental Quality, Water Quality Division, 1110 W. Washington St., 5415B-3, Phoenix, Arizona 85007. All written comments received by ADEQ by the close of business on the date 30 days after publication of this notice will be considered in the final permit decision. A public hearing request must be in writing and must include the reasons for such request. If there is a significant degree of public interest, the Director will hold a hearing in accordance with A.A.C. R18-9-908(B).