The North Carolina Environmental Management Commission announced on March 10 that it will hold three public hearings to gather input on proposed rules for monitoring and minimizing 1,4-dioxane in wastewater discharged into the state’s surface waters. The comment period for these proposals begins March 16.
The hearings are scheduled for April 9 at the Catawba County St. Stephens Branch Library in Hickory, April 14 at Fayetteville Technology Community College, and May 12 at Guilford Technical Community College in Jamestown. Each hearing will begin at 6 p.m., with sign-in and speaker registration starting at 5 p.m.
According to the commission, the proposed rules—15A NCAC 02B .0513 and 15A NCAC 02H .0924—aim to monitor for the presence of 1,4-dioxane from industrial dischargers with National Pollutant Discharge Elimination System permits within certain industry classifications. The rules would also apply to publicly owned wastewater treatment plants with pretreatment programs that accept waste from significant industrial users associated with industries known to discharge this substance.
If adopted, the rules would require industrial direct dischargers and significant industrial users who detect 1,4-dioxane in their discharge to develop plans aimed at reducing these discharges into surface water. The commission is also seeking public feedback on whether a screening threshold above the lowest reported concentration (currently one microgram per liter) should be used as a trigger for ongoing monitoring and planning. Additionally, comments are requested on whether the scope of these regulations should be expanded beyond specific industry codes to include all industrial dischargers.
Written comments can be submitted by email or mail through June 15. Copies of prepared remarks will also be accepted during each hearing. The text of the proposed rules is available online.
The commission noted that speaking time may be limited depending on attendance and clarified that this program is neither sponsored nor endorsed by Catawba County Library or Catawba County Government.