Source: NCDENR, 1/29/16

State environmental officials are seeking public feedback on a proposed draft water quality permit for Duke Energy’s Cape Fear Steam Electric Plant in Chatham County.

The N.C. Department of Environmental Quality has drafted a National Pollution Discharge Elimination System, or NPDES, permit for stormwater discharges at the facility, which is located along the Cape Fear River near Moncure, N.C.

The draft stormwater permit and related documents are available online at: http://portal.ncdenr.org/web/guest/duke-npdes-permits.

Public comments on the stormwater permit should be mailed to: Stormwater Permitting, 1612 Mail Service Center, Raleigh, N.C., 27699-1612.

Public comments may also be submitted by email to: publiccomments@ncdenr.gov. Please be sure to include “Cape Fear Stormwater” in the email’s subject line.

The public comment period for the Cape Fear Steam Electric Plant draft stormwater permit begins Jan. 29 and ends Feb. 29. All comments received by the comment period closing date will be considered in the final determination regarding permit issuance and permit provisions.

As part of the public comment period, the department will hold a public hearing in February to gather feedback on the draft stormwater permit. The public hearing for the Cape Fear Steam Electric Plant draft permit is scheduled for 6 p.m. Feb. 29 at Central Carolina Community College, 764 West St., Pittsboro, N.C. Speaker registration will begin at 5 p.m.

A public comment period and public hearing for the facility’s wastewater permit will be held at a later date when that draft permit is complete.