Information Requested from the Cliffside Steam Station 

Responses to EPA Questions for Cliffside Steam Station are provided below. All CBI designated 

data is noted within each response and is provided in a separate submittal. 

1. Please provide a description of the wastewater used in the pilot testing (e.g., describe any 

treatment of the FGD wastewater prior to it being transferred to the technologies evaluated as 

part of the pilot testing. 

Response: 

The water used to evaluate the performance of the pilot test was the effluent from the current 

Cliffside wastewater treatment system. A schematic of the wastewater treatment system is 

provided in the PDF file “CS WWT Schematic” and a written description of the wastewater 

treatment system is provided in the word document “Cliffside ABMet Pilot Operational 

Discussion”. Analytical data of the influent and effluent of the existing wastewater treatment 

system is provided in excel file “Non CBI Cliffside EPA Data Final 3_14_14” under tab 

”FGD Purge” and “1st Stage In” . 

At GE’s request, all information in the following files has been claimed confidential business 

information (CBI): 

 Cliffside ABMet Pilot Operational Discussion 

2. Please provide a description of the wastewater treatment technologies evaluated as part of the 

pilot testing. Please also note any changes made to the treatment technologies or additional 

pretreatment added to the systems during the pilot testing to optimize performance of the 

technology. Please identify the dates for which any changes were made. 

Response: 

The pilot test system consisted of a two-stage GE ABMet bioreactor. No other treatment 

technologies were evaluated. A discussion of the pilot and changes made are provided in the 

word document “Cliffside ABMet Pilot Operational Discussion”. Additional information on 

changes made during the pilot test is available under tabs “Comments” and “Pilot Data” in 

the spreadsheet “CBI Cliffside Bio Pilot Test”. Sodium Bisulfate (SBS) dosing to the influent 

to the pilot test is provided under tab “SBS Dosing” in the spreadsheet “Non CBI Cliffside 

EPA Data Final 3_14_14”. 

At GE’s request, all information in the following files has been claimed confidential business 

information (CBI): 

 Cliffside ABMet Pilot Operational Discussion 

 CBI Cliffside Bio Pilot Test 

3. EPA requests that Duke Energy provide all arsenic, mercury, selenium, nitrate/nitrite, and 

ammonia concentration data for the following wastestreams for the entire time period that the 

pilot test was conducted: 
All analytical reports are being claimed as CBI, since samples from the FGD purge and influent 

to the pilot test were collected with the samples from the bioreactor effluents. Each analytical 

report is provided along with a cross-reference that matches the sample date to the laboratory 

report. In addition, QA/QC information is, also, provided in the “Cliffside EDD File” 

spreadsheet. 

a. FGD purge stream (prior to any treatment); 

Response: 

Analytical data from the FGD purge stream is provided in the spreadsheet “Non CBI 

Cliffside EPA Data Final 3_14_14” in tab “FGD Purge”. 

b. Influent to pilot testing (e.g., after initial treatment, but before treatment in the technologies 

evaluated in the pilot test); and 

Response: 

Analytical data from the FGD purge stream is provided in the spreadsheet “Non CBI 

Cliffside EPA Data Final 3_14_14” in tab “1st Stage In”. 

c. Treated wastewater from each technology evaluated.

Response: 

Analytical data from the pilot test includes influent from the 2nd stage bioreactor (i.e. effluent 

from the 1st stage bioreactor and effluent from the 2nd stage bioreactor. This information is 

provided in the spreadsheet “CBI Cliffside Bio Pilot Test” under tabs “2nd Stage In” and 

“2nd Stage Eff”. 

4. Additionally, for EPA to further evaluate the quality of the data, the Agency requires 

supplemental information to support these submitted data (described in Attachment 1). 

Response: 

Supplemental information to support the submitted data is provided in folder “Cliffside 

Analytical Data”. Laboratory reports for each sample are provided. An excel file is included 

which provides a cross-reference to the sample data and laboratory report file name. The 

“Cliffside EDD File” provides analytical method, CAS number, method detection limit 

(MDL), reporting detection limit (RDL), data flags and analytical laboratory. 

At GE’s request, all data and laboratory reports for samples collected from the 1st Stage 

Effluent (a.k.a. 2nd stage influent) and 2nd Stage Effluent are CBI. 

5. Please provide the type and source (i.e., mine name and location) of coal used at the plant each 

day starting one month prior to the beginning of the pilot test and continuing through the entire 

pilot test duration. In addition, please provide the sulfur and chlorine content of the coal used at 

the plant for each day of this period, if available. For days where coal blending occurred, please 

note the percentage of each type of coal used. 

Response: 
The type and source of coal information for Allen Steam Station is being claimed confidential 

business information (CBI). 

Type and source of coal information for Cliffside Steam Station is included in the “CBI Cliffside 

Bio Pilot Test” spreadsheet under tab “SE04643A6-CS”. The station receives coal from several 

mines. The mine name and location provided is the predominant mine of the coal being burned 

from that basin on that day. This is generally an accurate representation of the coal being burn; 

however, for days when coal is reclaimed from the coal pile, it is not possible to identify the mine 

name and location. For coal blending, the percentage is an estimation of the percent of each 

coal being burned each day. 

Additional coal data is provided to demonstrate how the coal being burned has varied. We 

believe this will continue in the future. 

6. Please provide the following information for each day within the range of sampling results that 

are being provided, if available: 

a. Chloride concentration, pH, and average daily oxidation-reduction potential (ORP) values 

within each FGD scrubber system;

Response: 

Chloride concentration, pH and ORP values within each FGD scrubber system are provided in 

the “Non-CBI Cliffside EPA Data Final 3_14_14”spreadsheet under tab “Unit Data”. Data 

only pertaining to Cliffside 5 is provided. 

b. Chloride concentration, pH, and average daily ORP values for the FGD purge stream (prior 

to any treatment); 

Response: 

Only chloride concentration and pH are measured in the influent to the FGD wastewater 

treatment system. This information is provided in the “Non-CBI Cliffside EPA Data Final 

3_14_14” spreadsheet under tab “Unit Data”. These parameters are measured at sampling 

location SP-1 illustrated on the Cliffside WWT Schematic. 

c. Chloride concentration, pH, and average daily ORP values for the influent to pilot testing 

(e.g., after initial treatment, but before treatment in the technologies evaluated in the pilot 

test); and 

Response: 

The pH, and average daily ORP values for the influent to the pilot test is provided in the “CBI 

Cliffside Pilot Test” spreadsheet under tab “Pilot Data” under heading Bioreactor #1 feed. 

Chloride concentration was not measured in the influent to the pilot test. 

At GE’s request, this information has been claimed CBI. 

d. Electric generation output (MW-hr) for each generating unit serviced by a FGD system.

Response: 
The electric generation output (MW-hr) for each generation unit serviced by a FGD system is 

provided in the “Non-CBI Cliffside EPA Data Final 3_14_14” spreadsheet under tab “Unit 

Data”.