ENB Region 4 Completed Applications 11/10/2004

The applicant proposes to construct a commercial development that includes a 169,793 square foot Lowe's Store, and  two smaller retail buildings.  The work will involve the discharge of fill material into waters of the United States including 0.19 acre of federal wetland and 820 lienar feet of an unnamed intermittent stream to facilitate construction of the buildings and parking lots.   Mitigation of impacts will consist of creating 1,123 linear feet of new stream channel, creating 0.78 acre of associated upland buffer, creating 0.81 acre of wetland adjacent to the new channel, and preserving a 300 foot riparian buffer along the Susquehanna River.   The project is located on the north side of State Route 23 just west of the Otsego/Delaware County line.

The applicant proposes to remove an existing trailer, construct a new house, sewage disposal system and place a seasonal dock within the adjacent area of Freshwater Wetland SY-6 at Canadarago Lake.  The project is located on the west shore of Canadarago Lake, off State Route 28, just north of the Exeter town line.

The applicant proposes to construct a residence to be located adjacent to an abandoned railroad bed.  The construction will necessitate the placement of fill within .2 acres of federal wetland.  The project is located on County Highway 25A justh south of the County Highway 25 and 25A intersection, west of the Village of Richfield Springs.

The New York State Department of Environmental Conservation (NYSDEC) has reviewed the

6 NYCRR Part 373 Hazardous Waste Management permit renewal application submitted by General Electric Company, Global Research Center, Niskayuna, NY (EPA I.D. No. NYD071094197) and has made a tentative determination to renew the permit.  

The General Electric Company operates a research and development center on a 580 acre site adjacent to the Mohawk River on River Road in the Town of Niskayuna. Facilities at this site include offices, laboratories, and support facilities. There are four main technical components: the Chemical Research Center, the Electronics Research Center, the Engineering Research Center, and the Materials Research Laboratory.

    

Hazardous Wastes are generated as a result of the research projects and these wastes are stored on site in containers and tanks. Waste acids are neutralized in tanks and all hazardous wastes are shipped off site for disposal. The storage of these wastes are regulated under NYS Reguations Part 373.

The NYSDEC has prepared a draft renewal permit which requires compliance with 6NYCRR 3732 "Final Status Standards for Owners and Operators of Hazardous Waste Treatment, Storage and Disposal Facilities" and 6NYCRR Part 376 "Land Disposal Restrictions" as well as with all conditions in the Part 373 permit.  The draft permit also requires the facility to institute corrective action to address any uncorrected releases at all solid waste management units.

A copy of the permit application and supporting materials, the draft permit and Fact Sheet for the permit and the administrative record are available for review at the NYSDEC Region 4 Office by contactd the person listed in this announcement during normal business hours.

This is a mass modification, in accordance with New York State Department of Environmental Conservation Technical & Operational Guidance Series 1.2.2 and 6 NYCRR Part 750-1.18 (b)(7).

The United States Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) has recently promulgated effluent limitations guidelines and new source performance standards for the Concentrated Aquatic Animal Production (CAAP) Point Source Category at 40 CFR Part 451. This point source category consists of facilities with Standard Industrial Classification (SIC) codes of 0921 and 0273, i.e. fish farms and fish hatcheries. The following SPDES permit is affected by the new regulation and has been modified, en masse with all other fish hatcheries in NYS, to comply with the federal regulations:

The federal regulations require that the SPDES permits for all CAAP facilities include specific reporting requirements, including reporting of: use of investigational new animal drugs; failure in, or damage to, the structure of an aquatic animal containment system resulting in an unanticipated material discharge of pollutants to waters of the state; and the spill of drugs, pesticides or feed that results in a discharge to waters of the state. All of the 18 SPDES hatchery permits in NYS now include these reporting requirements.

The federal regulations also require that CAAP facilities that produce over 100,000 pounds per year of fish be required to develop, maintain, and implement a Best Management Practices (BMP) plan to prevent releases of significant amounts of pollutants to the waters of the state. Four of the eighteen facilities produce over 100,000 pounds of fish per year. They are: Caledonia, Catskill, Rome and Salmon River fish hatcheries. These four SPDES permits were modified to include the requirement to develop BMP plans.