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News Release RI Department of Environmental Management 235 Promenade St., Providence, RI 02908 (401) 222-2771 TDD/(401) 222-4462
DEM TO HOLD HEARING ON DRAFT DISCHARGE PERMIT FOR CLARIANT CORPORATION OF COVENTRY PROVIDENCE - The Department of Environmental Management will hold a public hearing on December 18 on a draft RI Pollution Discharge Elimination System (RIPDES) permit it intends to reissue for the Clariant Corporation of Coventry. Clariant, a manufacturer of organic chemicals and dyes, operates a treatment facility that receives wastewater from its own manufacturing processes, from DyStar, L.P., a manufacturer of dyes, and from Rhodes Technologies, a pharmaceutical manufacturer. Clariant currently treats wastewater from the three companies on site and discharges the wastewater via an outfall pipe to the south branch of the Pawtucket River.The proposed permit contains water quality-based and technology-based limits for 71 pollutants and includes toxicity limits to control the toxicity of the wastewater discharge. The technology-based limits were derived from a number of sources including federal effluent guidelines, wasteload allocations for certain metals and dissolved oxygen for the Pawtuxet River, and from water quality-based limits. In order to reduce the amount of phosphorus entering the river, the draft permit also includes the same technology-based phosphorus limit assigned to the three municipal wastewater treatment plants (Cranston, Warwick and West Warwick) discharging to the Pawtuxet. High phosphorus levels can cause algal blooms and low levels of dissolved oxygen. The permit also contains limits for 23 outfalls that discharge non-contact cooling water, steam condensate, river water filter backwash, and/or storm water. Under the draft permit, Clariant must assess its discharge of filter washwater to the river, addressing treatment options or implementing best management practices, and must sample monthly for color at the treatment facility outfall pipe and instream locations. The public hearing will be held on at 5 p.m. in Room 300 at DEM Headquarters, 235 Promenade Street in Providence, and written comments will be accepted until 4:00 p.m. on December 19. A copy of the draft permit, the development document, and a fact sheet describing the type of facility and significant factual, legal and policy questions considered in these permit actions may be obtained by calling Melinda Mozzoni in DEM's Office of Water Resources at 222-4700 ext. 7046. -30- |
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