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### DEP A R T MEN T O F E CO L O G Y 1' 0 Box 476 00 • 0/ ; mpi .l , WA 'JUi0 4 · 7 W IJ • 3fi0-40 i· 60 () 1J **~~**

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Mr. Michael Bussell , Director Office of W ater and Watersheds US EPA R egion I 0 1200 Sixth Avenue , Suite 900 Seattle, W A 981 01 RE: Request for final certification of the National Pollutant Discharge Elimination System Vessel and Small Vessel Gene ral Permits for discharges incidental to the normal operation to waters of the U. S . in the state of Washington Dear Mr. Bussell: On December 15, 2011 , the United Sta t es E nvironmental Protection Agency (EPA) requested the Was h ington State Department of Ecology ( E cology) eithe r grant or deny certification under 40 CFR § 124.55, or wai v e its right to certif y EPA ' s draft Vessel Genera l Permit (VGP), and EPA's draft Smal1 Ve s sel General Permit (s VGP ) for Discharges Incidental to the Normal Operation of ve s sels to waters ofthe United States located within the state of Was hington. 

### AUTH ORI TIE S : In exercising autho rity under 33 U .S.C. § 1341 , RCW 90.48.120, and RCW 90.48
. 260, E colo gy has examined this appl ication pursuant to the follow in g: I. Confo rm ance with applicable water qu a lit y -based, technology-based , and toxic or pretreatment effluent limitations as provided under 33 U .S.C. 

### § 131 1 , 1312, 1313 , 1316 , and 131 7 (F WPCA 

### § 301 , 302 , 303 ,3 06 , and 307 ) ; 2
. Conformance with the state water quality standards contained in C hapter l73-20IA WAC and author ized by 33 U .S.C. §1313 and by Chapter 90.48 R C W , and with other applicable s tate laws; and 3. Conformance with the provision of using a ll known, available , and reasonable m ethods to prevent and control pollution of state waters as required by RCW 90.48
. 010
. Ecology objects to E PA ' s request to certify draft permits that have not been revised to reflect respo n ses made to publi c comments
. De s pite our objections , we are conditionally certifying the draft VGPs., -;--:- • . >:. - 

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**A** inten ds to inc orporate state-specific conditio ns into the VG Ps via the c ertification process . EP A has re ques ted Ecol ogy certify the VGP under Sectio n 40l(a)(l) of the fed eral Clean Water Act. Ho wever, state c ertifying agencies, incl uding Ecolo gy, must follow state-spec ific proc edures fo r developing these condition s; and onc e they are developed, sta tes will be respo nsible for d efend ing any legal ch all en ges to tho se conditions
. We are faced with the awkw ard and tmrcasona ble d emand fr om EPA that we base our c ertifi c ation on the draft VGP. Contrary to the req uirements outlined in the federal Clean W ater Act, we hav e been asked to c erti fy the draft VGP rather than the proposed fina l V GP. By requiring certifi c ati on of the draft permi t, Ecology is not prov ided the opportunity to rev iew and evaluate an y changes to the draft V GP that EPA makes as a resu lt of public co mment. This pl aces the state in the imp ossible po siti on of not kno wing exactly what the State is c ertifying. The sugge stion tha t st ate s include all rele vant c onditions in their c ertification is not reasonab le since it means effec tively writing a VGP in our stat e-c ertificati on . EP A issued the draft VGPs in Nov ember 2011 an d pl ans to issue th e final permits in November 2012. Howev er, the new pe rmits will not go into effect until the existing permits expi re in Dec ember 2013. Th is provides ample ti me for EP A to make the necessary permit revisi ons , as a resul t ofpublic comment, and provid e the fina l dra ft p ermits to the states to certify. In add it ion, we would like to hi ghl i ght the need to devel op effective hullcl eanin g p ract ices for the co ntro l of invasive spec ies. D espit e our objecti ons , as you have requested, Eco lo gy is con diti onal ly c ertify ing the N ovem ber 30, 2011 dr aft VGP. Ecology's c erti fi ca t ion cond itions for b oth permit s are identi cal and en closed 

### with this letter. As stated, 

### Ecology is certifying the terms and condit ions contained in the draft 

### V GPs
. H 

### EP A issues a final VGP that contains any cha nges from th e draft 

### VGP, Ec ol ogy is 

### denying state-certification of the final VGP pendin g Ec ology review of the fmal perm it. Ecology's fina l c ertification conditions ma y be appe aled by following the pro cedures

**descri~d** on the last page of that document. If you have any questions or would like to discuss these matters further, please co ntact 

### Bill Moore at bill
. maare46 1 @ccy. wa.gov, or (360) 407-6460; or Randal} M ars hall at randaH
.marshaH46l@ecy

. wa.g ov, or (360}46 7

- 6445. Sincerel y,



### K y Su sewi nd P. E., P.G. Water Quality Pro gram Manager Enclosure cc: Bill M oore Randall Marshall 

### By C ertified Ma il 7010 0780 0002 3 523 6095- RETURN RECEIPT REQUESTE D

### WASHINGTO N STATE 401 C ERTIFI C ATIO N CO NDITIONS 

### fo t the Vessel Gen e r al
. Pe rmit s The W as hington State D epartment of Ecology (Ec o lo gy ) c erti fies that the activity as propo sed and conditioned will be conducted in a m anner that will meet the app l icable water quality standards and other appro pri ate req uireme n ts of state law. In v iew of the for e go ing and in acc ordance with 33 U.S.C. § 1341, RCW 90.48.120, R CW 90.48.260, Chapter 173-200 WAC, and Chapter 1 73- 201A W A C, water quality c erti fication is granted to EPA for the draft Ves sel General P ermi t (V GP ) and the draft Small Vessel General Permit (sV GP) as reviewed and conditioned by the sta te of Washington. Unt il the f inal pe rmit has been reviewed and ap pr

oved by the state, water quality c ert ification does not extend to the fin al V GP and sV GP if th e y have been changed 

### in any wa y from the draft p ermits
. Certification ofthis proposal does not authori ze the Applic ant t o ex ceed applicable stat e w ater quality s tandards ( Ch ap t er 1 73

- 20 IA WAC), gro und w ater stand ard s ( Chapter 173-200 WAC) or sedim ent 

### quroh.)l standards (Chapter 173-1{}4 WAC). F urt h erm {)fe, noth ing in this c ertification shall ab solve the Appl icant from liability for contaminatio n and any subsequent cleanup of surface waters, ground w aters, or sedime nts occ urring as a resu lt of vessel opera tions
. 

### A
. Con di tion s R el ated t o W a s hi ngton S tate Geograp hy 1
. Th e c ondit ions and requ ireme nts of the Vessel G eneral Pe rmit (V GP) and the Smal l Ve ssel G eneral P ermi t (sVGP) s hal l extend to all surf ac e w aters o f the state. (Authority

- Arti cle XXIV of the Washington State Con s tit u ti on and 43 US C § 1 312.) 2. Many of the instru c ti ons in the VGP and the sVGP involve using onshore disposal if available. Proper interpretation of thes e in stru ctions req uires knowledge on pumpout facility locat ions. E colo gy 's V GP / sV GP webpag e co ntai ns links to info rmation showing where p ump o ut fac.iJities are available and providin g guidance on other vessel -rel ated en viro nm e ntal i s sues . 

### B
. Cond i t i ons Re l ated t o State L a w 1
. Exc ept for f rrefigh tin g fo am d ischarged d uring an eme rgency , m ai ntenance, or trainin g, d i sch arges to state waters are pro hibi t ed whi ch would cause a shee n, fi lm, sludge
. foam, turbidity, color, or odor. (authority RCW 90.48.020, RCW 90.48.080, and WAC 173-201A-260(2)(b)) 2. Based upo n experienc e in W ashington State with ves sel discharges v iolating R CW 90.48
. 080 and requirem ent s that the Dep artment of E cology has routinely imposed since before issuance of the o ri g in al V GP or sVGP, the disc harge offish hold effluent while a t a dock, p ier, or mooring is pro hibited. · 3. The release to state w a ters of a h armfu l animal or plant spe cies meet s the sta t e's de fini tion o f pollu ti on in R CW 90.48.020 and would be a violation ofRC W 90.48.080, WAC 173-201A-260(2)(a ), and the sV GP
. sVGP P art 2.6(f) requir e s vessel operators t o peri o dically inspe ct and clean v es s el hulls i f neces sary to preven t the spread or d ispe rsal of in vasive s pe cies
. sV GP Part 2
. 6(g) req uire s vessel ope rators to minimize the trans p ort of visible living org ani sm s fro m one waterbody

W ashingto n State 401 Certificat i on Conditi on s for the Vessel General P ermits Page 

## 1 1to another. sVGP Part 3.2 requires quarterly inspection of the visible portions of the hull. Regular cleaning of hulls and niche areas is the only routinely available nontoxic method for minimizing transport of attached living organisms. The rele ase of nonnative aquatic animal species from in-water cleaning of vessel hulls, niche areas, and running gear without approval from the Washington Department of Fi sh and Wildlife (WDFW) is forbidden by RCW 77.15.253. Th e state VGP / sVG P webpage described in Condition 

### F. contains contact information and instructions for seeki ng WDFW app roval. Allowing biofouling to accumulate and mature without hull cleaning can also be interpreted as an illegal release. Operators of vessels with hulls which have not been c leaned for months or that are involved in extended unmanned periods or other layups should conduct a hull inspection. A hull inspection under these circumstances is especially needed before leaving o n a voyage to Wash ington S tat e waters or a voyage between CO TP zo nes within the sta te. In accordance with paragraphs 2.6(f) and 2.6(g) of the sVGP, vessel operators must periodically conduct hull inspections and perf o rm hull cleaning if needed. 

### C. Notification Condition The following incidents must be reported as soo n as possible but no more than 24 hours after first becoming aware of their occurrence to the Washington S tate Department of Health (WDOH) at 360-236-3330 or 360-789-8962 (after hours). Information provided should include the discharge location (latitude and long itude) , discharge volume, discharge type, date and tim e , and duration of discharge. W D OH need not be notified of any incident not occ trrring in s tate waters. (Au thority

- RCW 69.30.130.) • A discharge of graywater in violat ion of sVGP Part 2.7. • Any vessel discharge containing sewage ifthe discharge exceeds the bacterial or suspended sol ids standards in 4 0 C F R § 140.3(d). • Any upset in a disinfection sy s t e m. D. State Inspection Authority 1. In accordance with RCW 90.48.090, Department of Ecology inspectors shall have access to the ship at reasonable times and locations for the purpose of sampl ing discharges covered by the sVGP, interviewing crew members, and inspecting log books and other relevant record s. 2. In accordance with WAC 220-150-03 3, WDFW inspectors shall have access at any time to any vessel carrying or capable of carrying ballast water in order to provide technical assistance, assess compliance, and enforce the requirements of Chapter 220- 150 WAC.

Washington State 401 Ce,rtification Conditions for the Vessel General .Permits Page 

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### E. Reop en er Th e Water Quality C e rtifi ca tio n m ay be rev oked if inform a tion b ec o mes available that the sVGP is not protective of state water quality. Certification conditions may be withdrawn, added, or modified if necessary to protect w ater quality or improve impl ementation and enforcement. Th e De partment of Ecology will provide public notice of any proposed changes to the c erti fication or c on ditions. 

### F. State

**VGPI~VGP Webpa**  **g~** In order to assist the public and sh ipp ing indu stry with sVGP require m ents and related inf o rmatio n, the Departm e n t o f Ec o logy main tai ns a VGP/sV GP webpage at: h ttp :/ /www.ec y .wa . g ov/ progr amslwg /pcrm itsNGP / index.h tml. The w ebp age d es cribes th e legal history of the ves se l permits and pr ov id es links to impo rtant s tate and federal d ocuments. 1'he webpage h as gu} dan c e fm gtaywater dischatges, ()} \y.. watet sepatat()t discharges, and in-water load line painting. Hull cleaning guidance will be developed and added. Inf ormation will be added on no disch ar ge zones when they are gr anted. Guidance on pumpout facilities will be included.

**G~** 

### Tim iug Re.quirc. ments: This Ce rti fication/Consistency Determ ination shall remain in effect 

### until December 18, 2017 or until the State invokes Condition E. to withdra w or modify this C e rtification. YOUR RIGHT TO APPF.AL You have a right to appe al this C ertifi cati on/Con s is tenc y Det erm ination to the Pollution C ontrol Hearings Bo ard (PC HB) wi thin 30 d ays of the date of rece ipt of this Cert i fication/Cons i stency De terminati on. The appeal p roc ess is go verned by Ch apter 43.21B R CW and Chapte r 371 -0 8 WAC. "Date of rec ei pt" is defined 

### in R CW 43
.2 1B. 001(2). To appeal you must do all of the follo win g within 30 days of the date of rece ipt o f this C erti fication/C ons isten c y Det erm in ation : • File your appea l and a c opy o f this C erti fi catio n/C on sistency D eterm inatio n with the P C HB ( see ad dresse s below). Filing me ans actual r eceipt by th e PCl -IB during regular business hours. • S erve a copy of your appe al and this C erti ficat ion/ C onsis tenc y D eterminati on on Ecolo g y in p ap e r fo rm - by m ail or in p erson. ( See addres ses belo w .) E mail is not ac cept ed. You must also c omp ly w ith oth er applicable requi rements in Chapter 43.2 1B RCW and Cha pter 371·08 WAC.

Washingto n Sta te 401 C ert ifi ca tion Conditi on s for the V ess el Gen eral P erm its Page 

## 13Street Addresses ' D epartmen t of E cology Attn : A ppeal s Proce ssing Desk 300 Desmond Drive SE L acey, W A 98503 Poll ut ion Co ntrol Hearings Board 1111 Israe l RD SW, Sui te 301 T umw ater , WA 98501
DA TED thi s 28th day of Augus t, 2 012

u s ewi n d , P.E. , P
. O
. 

## /} I I W er Quality Program Manager W ashingto n State D epartment of Ec ology Mailing Addresses , __ D epartment of Ecology Attn: Appeals Pro ces sing D esk PO Box 47608 Oly mpia, W A 98504

- 7608 Po lluti on C ontrol H earings Bo ard PO Box 40903 Ol ympia, W

### A 98504-0903

Washingto n S tate 401 Certific ati on Conditions for the Vessel Ge neral P ermits Page 

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