Public Notice: Opportunity to Comment on Draft Permit for the Town of Browning Wastewater Treatment Lagoon in Montana
Summary
The purpose of this notice is to re-open the public comment period for the EPA’s National Pollutant Discharge Elimination System (NPDES) draft permit for the Town of Browning Wastewater Treatment Lagoon (the Facility) under the authority of Section 402 of the Clean Water Act.
Activity
The Facility discharges treated wastewater from the Town of Browning (Browning) Wastewater Treatment Lagoon to Depot Creek. The Browning Wastewater Treatment Lagoon facility is located at latitude 48.552469° N and longitude 112.998822° W, in Glacier County, Montana.
Based on information submitted by the Permittee during the original public notice (posted 5/17/2023- 6/16/2023) for the Facility’s draft NPDES permit, substantial new questions were identified that resulted in significant changes to the ammonia requirements in the draft permit. Upon additional review, the EPA has concluded that the data submitted by the Permittee was questionable for the development of a numeric limit based on the Aquatic Life Ambient Water Quality Criteria For Ammonia – Freshwater, U.S. EPA Office of Science and Technology/Office of Water, 822-R-18-002/EPA-822-R-13-001, April 2013 (EPA 2013 Ammonia Criteria). The EPA has determined that the Facility will instead be required to implement optimization Best Management Practices (BMPs) in lieu of a numeric effluent limit for ammonia. In this instance, BMPs will be primarily used to reduce ammonia in the Facility’s discharge and will serve to protect aquatic life in the receiving water. This BMP approach is consistent with the intent of Section 101(a)(2) the Clean Water Act, which establishes a national goal of "water quality which provides for the protection and propagation of fish, shellfish, and wildlife and provides for recreation in and on the water.” 33 U.S.C. § 1251(a)(2)." In addition to the implementation of BMPs, ammonia monitoring and reporting will be required on a monthly basis to evaluate the effectiveness of optimization BMPs and develop future permitting requirements/limits for ammonia. Under 40 CFR 124.14(b)(1) and (2), and 124.14(c), EPA has prepared a modified draft permit and a revised statement of basis, and is re-opening the comment period. Comments filed during this re-opened comment period shall be limited to only the revised ammonia permit requirements as outlined in the re-opened public noticed documents.
Public Comments
The comment period ends on the date specified on this page. Comments should be directed to Alysia Tien at the address listed in the box at right. If you cannot adequately address comments via email, please reach out to Ms. Tien by phone to discuss alternative arrangements. All comments received prior to the end of the comment period will be considered in the formulation of any final permit determination and will be part of the administrative record. Any commenter may request a public hearing and the EPA will hold a hearing if the response to this notice indicates significant public interest. The EPA is also requesting comments on the possible adverse effects of reissuing the permit, as related to the revised ammonia requirements, on historic properties and/or cultural resources in the area.
Permit Availability
The full administrative record – including all data submitted by the applicant – is electronically available upon request for public inspection. These documents are only available electronically and can be provided upon request. The draft permit documents and the statement of basis addendum for the draft permit are available for download below. For further information, please reach out to Ms. Tien at the contact information above.
Notification and details of any public comment period extension will be posted here and will not be published in a newspaper. Interested parties on our email list will also be notified by email. If you wish to be added to our email list, there is a link to subscribe at About Region 8's NPDES Permit Program.
Permittee
Gerald Wagner, Authorized Official
Blackfeet Tribe
457 Hospital Road
P.O. Box 2029
Browning, MT 59417