Facility Information

Applicant/Facility Name: Purdue Farms, Inc.

– Lewiston Plant

Applicant Address: P.O. Box 460, Lewiston Woodville, NC 27849

Facility Address: 3539 Go vernors Rd., Lewiston, NC 27849

Permitted Flow (MGD): 3.0

Type of Waste: Industrial

Facility Classification: IV

Permit Status: Renewal/expansion

County: Bertie

Miscellaneous

Receiving Stream: Roanoke River Regional Office: Washington

Stream Classif ication: C State Grid / USGS Quad: Kelford/C30NW

303(d) Listed? Yes Permit Writer: Teresa Rodriguez

Basin/Subbasin: 03

- 02

- 08 Date: 10/15/07

Stream index no.: 23

- (26)

Lat. 36 07’ 49” N Long. 77 14’ 59” W Drainage Area (mi 2 ): 8800

S ummer 7Q10 (cfs) 1500

Winter 7Q10 (cfs): 1102

30Q2 (cfs)

Average Flow (cfs):

IWC (%): 0.41

Summary

Purdue Farms Incorporated operates the Lewiston Processing and Rendering facility in Lewiston, Bertie

County. Operations include slaughtering o f broiler chickens, cutting up, de

- boning, marination, packing

and rendering of by

- products. The facility processes 400,000 birds per day. The process generates

approximately 2.02 MGD of wastewater. Rendering generates approximately 0.277 MGD of

wastewater . Stormwater from the truck maintenance is discharged under a separate stormwater permit.

The treatment system consists of sedimentation, screening, two anaerobic lagoons, equalization basin,

oxidation ditch for nitrification/denitrification, secondary c larifier, chlorination and dechlorination, sludge

gravity thickener and digestion.

There are new federal effluent guidelines applicable to this facility. In order to meet the proposed limits

they need to upgrade the treatment system. At the same time th ey want to provide more capacity at the

wastewater treatment plant to accommodate an increase in production at the plant. With the permit

renewal Purdue Farms requested an expansion to 5 MGD. An engineering alternatives analysis was

submitted with the perm it renewal application. They evaluated connection to an existing WWTP, land

application, reuse and expansion of the existing discharge. Land application and the surface discharge

were the only two feasible alternatives. The cost of the land application sys tem is $17.635 millions. TheNPDES Permit Fact Sheet Perdue Farms, Inc. NC0028835

Page 2

cost of the surface discharge expansion is $6.368 millions. The most economically feasible alternative

is the expansion of the surface discharge. The proposed improvements include a new anoxic reactor for

denitrification, a new secondary clarifier and sludge dewatering equipment.

Water Quality issues/receiving stream

Purdue Farms discharges treated effluent to the Roanoke River, sub

- basin 03

- 02

- 08. A QUAL2E model

simulation was used to evaluate the proposed increase in discha rge from 3 MGD to 5 MGD. The model

predicted that the increase in flow will not lower the DO in the river below 5 mg/l. By implementing the

more stringent effluent guideline limits at the higher flow the net effect is a reduction in the loads for

BOD and ammonia from the existing permitted loads.

Basin Plan / 303(d)

The Roanoke River is listed in the 303(d) list as impaired for mercury in the fish consumption category.

This portion of the river is supporting aquatic life and recreation. A portion of t he river downstream of

the discharge, from Williamston to the Albermarle Sound, will be listed on the 2008 303(d) list for

dissolved oxygen.

Effluent guidelines

The applicable effluent guidelines for this facility is 40 CFR 432 Subpart L. This part appl ies to

discharges of process wastewater resulting from the slaughtering of poultry, further processing of

poultry and rendering of material derived from slaughtered poultry. Existing limits were based on

proposed effluent guideline limitations when the per mit was drafted in 2003. The effluent guidelines

were not implemented as proposed. Amended effluent guidelines became effective in 2004. The limits

for BOD, TSS, ammonia, Oil and Grease, and Total Nitrogen will be modified according to current

federal effl uent guidelines.

Table I

– Existing limits

Parameter Existing permit limits Equivalent concentrations

Monthly

average Daily Max Monthly

average Daily Max

BOD 712 lb/d 1222 lb/d 28 mg/l 49 mg/l

Ammonia 400 lb/d 606 lb/d 16 mg/l 24 mg/l

O & G 380 lb/ d 570 lb/d 15 mg/l 23 mg/l

TSS 840 lb/d 1520 lb/d 34 mg/l 61 mg/l

Fecal Coliform 200 /100 ml 400 /100 ml

Total Nitrogen no limit

Table II

– Proposed Limits

Parameter Monthly

average Daily Max EG / WQL

BOD 16 mg/l 26 mg/l EG

- 423.12 2 BPT

Ammonia 4 mg/l 8 mg/l EG

- 423.122 BPT

O & G 8 mg/l 14 mg/l EG

- 423.122 BPT

TSS 20 mg/l 30 mg/l EG

- 423.122 BPT

Fecal Coliform 200 /100 ml 400 /100 ml EG

- 423.122 BPT (daily max), WQS

(monthly average)

Total Nitrogen 103 mg/l 147 mg/l EG

- 423.123 BAT

PH 6 to 9 SU WQS

Total residual chlorine 28 ug/l WQSNPDES Permit Fact Sheet Perdue Farms, Inc. NC0028835

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Data review

Table III

- Summary of DMR Data

1/04

– 8/07 Flow

MGD BOD

lb/day TSS

lb/day O & G

lb/day Ammonia

mg/l TN

mg/L TP

mg/L

Average 2.51 307 389 57 68 72 22

Max 3.29 1158 1 454 550 520 141 47

Min 1.27 31 9 20 0.7 27 6

Notices of violations were issued to the facility for one fecal coliform daily max exceedance and three

for pH for not reaching daily minimum.

RPA

- Total mercury was detected once in 2005 with a value of 0.23 μg/l. The allowable concentration

for mercury is 3.8 μg/l. There is no reasonable potential to exceed the water quality limit for mercury,

therefore monitoring was eliminated from the permit.

Instream Monitoring

– The facility monitors upstream ( 100 feet) and downstream (5 miles) of the

discharge. Data collected includes temperature, dissolved oxygen, pH, BOD and ammonia. Data was

reviewed for the period of January 2004 to December 2006. Dissolved oxygen values of < 5 mg/l were

reported during sum mer months both upstream and downstream of the discharge. The Division collects

data at two sampling stations on the Roanoke River also upstream (11 miles) and downstream (17

miles) of the discharge. Data from these two stations does not show low dissolved oxygen. All

parameters appear to be within normal conditions.

Proposed Changes

Limits for BOD, TSS, ammonia, oil and grease, and total nitrogen were modified to conform to

current effluent guidelines for the Meat and Poultry Industry.

Monitoring fo r mercury was eliminated from the permit. There is no reasonable potential to exceed

the water quality standard.

A new effluent page is included for the expanded flow of 5 MGD.

PROPOSED SCHEDULE FOR PERMIT ISSUANCE

Draft Permit to Public Notice: O ctober 24, 2007

Permit Scheduled to Issue: December 17, 2007

NPDES DIVISION CONTACT

If you have questions regarding any of the above information or on the attached permit, please contact

Teresa Rodriguez at (919) 733

- 5083 ext. 553.

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Regional Office Comments

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S UPERVISOR :

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