Fact Sheet for NPDES Permit WA0991001 Boeing Everett Cleanup Site May 11, 2015 Purpose of this fact sheet This fact sheet explains and documents the decisions the Department of Ecology (Ecology) made in drafting the proposed National Pollutant Discharge Elimination System (NPDES) permit for Boeing Everett, WA. This fact sheet complies with Section 173-220-060 of the Washington Administrative Code (WAC), which requires Ecology to prepare a draft permit and accompanying fact sheet for public evaluation before issuing an NPDES permit. Ecology makes the draft permit and fact sheet available for public review and comment at least thirty (30) days before issuing the final permit. Copies of the fact sheet and draft permit for Boeing Everett (Boeing), NPDES permit WA0991001, are available for public review and comment from March 10 to April 10, 2015. For more details on preparing and filing comments about these documents, please see Appendix A – Public Involvement Information. Boeing has reviewed the draft permit and fact sheet for factual accuracy. Ecology corrected any errors or omissions regarding the facility’s location, history, discharges, or receiving water prior to publishing this draft fact sheet for public notice. After the public comment period closes, Ecology will summarize substantive comments and provide responses to them. No public comments were received during the public comment period for this permit. Summary Boeing is conducting a remedial cleanup of trichloroethylene (TCE) in groundwater to achieve hydraulic control of TCE in the plume, and to reduce to maximum extent practicable discharge to Powder Mill Creek. The remediation consists of extracting and treating contaminated groundwater through an air stripper treatment system. The system is being operated as part of an interim remedial action, administered by Ecology’s Hazardous Waste Program, to clean up a historic TCE release, the current source of which is located beneath a large stormwater detention basin at the head of Powder Mill Gulch, a generally undeveloped and wooded valley that runs to the north from the northern edge of Boeing’s commercial facilities. As part of Phase 1 of the interim action, groundwater is being extracted from beneath Boeing property and treated prior to discharge into the City’s sanitary sewer. As part of Phase 2 of the interim action, additional contaminated groundwater will be extracted from the City of Everett Lot 9 property north of the Boeing facility property. Rather than continuing to discharge to the sanitary sewer system, Boeing proposes to switch to discharge treated groundwater to Powder Mill Creek as soon as all necessary permits, including this NPDES Permit, are secured and construction of the system is complete for the transition to discharge to surface water. The treatment system is designed to operate at a flow rate of 225 gpm. Effluent limits for flow, pH, dissolved oxygen, oily sheen, trichloroethylene, 1,1 dichloroethylene, cis-1,2-dichloroethene, trans-1,2-dichlorethene, and vinyl chloride will be placed in the proposed NPDES Permit. In addition, monitoring for TPH-Dx is also proposed in the permit. Fact Sheet for NPDES Permit No. WA0991001 Boeing Everett Cleanup Site Page 2 of 30 Table of Contents I. Introduction ........................................................................................................................ 4 II. Background Information ................................................................................................... 5 A. Facility description................................................................................................ 6 History ................................................................................................................................ 6 Background………………………………………………………………………………. 6 TCE groundwater plume…………………………………………………………………. 7 Groundwater treatment system…………………………………………………………… 7 Description and design of outfall…………………………………………………………. 8 B. Description of the receiving water ....................................................................... 8 C. Wastewater characterization ............................................................................... 9 D. State environmental policy act (SEPA) compliance .......................................... 9 III. Proposed Permit Limits .................................................................................................... 10 A. Design criteria/outfalls flow rates ...................................................................... 10 B. Technology-based effluent limits ....................................................................... 10 C. Surface water quality-based effluent limits ...................................................... 11 Numerical criteria for the protection of aquatic life and recreation .................................. 11 Numerical criteria for the protection of human health ...................................................... 11 Narrative criteria ............................................................................................................... 11 Antidegradation ................................................................................................................ 12 Mixing zones..................................................................................................................... 13 D. Designated uses and surface water quality criteria ......................................... 13 E. Water quality impairments ................................................................................ 14 F. Evaluation of surface water quality-based effluent limits for numeric criteria .................................................................................................................. 14 G. Human health ...................................................................................................... 14 H. Sediment quality.................................................................................................. 14 I. Groundwater quality limits ................................................................................ 15 J. Effluent limits based on the Agreed Order No. DE96HS-N273 and its amendments…………………………………………………………………… . 15 K. Whole effluent toxicity ........................................................................................ 15 IV. Monitoring Requirements ................................................................................................ 16 A. Wastewater monitoring ...................................................................................... 16 V. Other Permit Conditions .................................................................................................. 16 A. Reporting and record keeping ........................................................................... 16 B. Operation and maintenance manual ................................................................. 16 Fact Sheet for NPDES Permit No. WA0991001 Boeing Everett Cleanup Site Page 3 of 30 C. General conditions .............................................................................................. 16 VI. Permit Issuance Procedures ............................................................................................ 17 A. Permit modifications ........................................................................................... 17 B. Proposed permit issuance ................................................................................... 17 VII. References for Text and Appendices ............................................................................... 17 Appendix A--Public Involvement Information ........................................................................... 19 Appendix B--Your Right to Appeal ............................................................................................. 20 Appendix C--Glossary .................................................................................................................. 21 Appendix D--Site Maps………………………………………………………………………… 28 Table 1. General facility information…………………………………………………………….. 5 Table 2. Effluent characterization…………………………………………………………………9 Table 3. Freshwater aquatic life uses and associated criteria……………………………………14 Table 4. Recreational uses and associated criteria……………………………………………… 14 Figure 1. Boeing Everett vicinity and site maps…………………....……………………………. 6 Figure 2. Site plan………………………………………………………………………………. 29 Figure 3. NPDES engineering report process flow diagram…………………………………… 30 Fact Sheet for NPDES Permit No. WA0991001 Boeing Everett Cleanup Site Page 4 of 30 I. Introduction The Federal Clean Water Act (FCWA, 1972, and later amendments in 1977, 1981, and 1987) established water quality goals for the navigable (surface) waters of the United States. One mechanism for achieving the goals of the Clean Water Act is the National Pollutant Discharge Elimination System (NPDES), administered by the federal Environmental Protection Agency (EPA). The EPA authorized the state of Washington to manage the NPDES permit program in our state. Washington State legislature accepted the delegation and assigned the power and duty for conducting NPDES permitting and enforcement to Ecology. The Legislature defined Ecology's authority and obligations for administration of the wastewater discharge permit program in 90.48 RCW (Revised Code of Washington). The following regulations apply to industrial NPDES permits: Procedures Ecology follows for issuing NPDES permits (Chapter 173-220