NPDES Permits in New England
Noncontact Cooling Water General Permit (NCCW GP)
The Notice of Availability of the final NPDES Non-contact Cooling Water General Permit (NCCW GP) in Massachusetts (MAG250000) and New Hampshire (NHG250000) was published in the Federal Register on October 2, 2014. The permit effective date is November 3, 2014, which is the first business day following 30 days after the publication date. This permit will expire at midnight on November 4, 2019.
The public comment period for the permit ended on June 16, 2014. EPA has included a response to comments received on the Draft NCCW GP and has made appropriate changes to the final permit. The comments and changes are discussed in the Response to Comments (PDF) (4 pp, 119 K) document.
This general permit is intended to replace the noncontact cooling water general permit that was issued on July 31, 2008 and expired on July 31, 2013. The NCCW general permit is for discharges of non-contact cooling water to waters of Massachusetts and New Hampshire. The permit establishes permit eligibility conditions, notice of intent requirements, effluent limitations, standards, prohibitions, and best management practices for facilities discharging NCCW. The eligibility requirements for coverage under the general permit are discussed in detail in Part 3 of the general permit.
Facilities looking to obtain coverage under the NCCW GP should submit a Notice of Intent (NOI) using the form in Appendix 5, available below (or send documentation including all of the requirements of Appendix 4). NOIs should be mailed to:
U.S. EPA, Region 1
NCCW GP Processing
Mail Code: OEP 06-4
5 Post Office Square, Suite 100
Boston, MA 02109-3912
Please note that NOIs submitted before the final permit authorization date will not be authorized for coverage until after that date. Please contact Suzanne Warner (warner.suzanne@epa.gov) (EPA) with questions regarding submittal of NOIs and the permit authorization process.
Under the 2014 NCCW GP, permittees will be required to submit their Discharge Monitoring Reports (DMRs) electronically to EPA and the State offices (unless otherwise infeasible) using the NetDMR system, which is accessed from: www.epa.gov/netdmr. Further information on NetDMR, including upcoming free training in Region 1, can be found on EPA's website at: www.epa.gov/region1/npdes/netdmr/index.html.
You will need Adobe Reader to view some of the files on this page. See EPA's PDF page to learn more about PDF, and for a link to the free Acrobat Reader.
- Noncontact Cooling Water General Permit (PDF) (31 pp, 267 K)
- Attachment A: Permit Standard Conditions (PDF) (14 pp, 112 K)
- Attachment B: Example Engineering and Dilution Factor Calculations (PDF) (5 pp, 112 K)
- Attachment C: Suggested BTA Components (PDF) (1 pg, 71 K)
- Appendix 1: Areas of Critical Concern in Massachusetts (PDF) (4 pp, 206 K)
- Appendix 2: Endangered Species Act Review and Requirements (PDF) (9 pp, 263 K)
- Appendix 3: National Historic Preservation Act Review & Requirements (PDF) (3 pp, 174 K)
- Appendix 4: Notice of Intent and Notice of Termination Instructions (PDF) (9 pp, 276 K)
- Appendix 5: Suggested Notice of Intent Format [ PDF (6 pp, 336 K) | Word (6 pp, 31 K) ]
- Appendix 6: EPA, MassDEP, and NHDES Mailing Addresses (PDF) (3 pp, 196 K)
- Appendix 7: Suggested Notice of Termination (NOT) Format (PDF) (2 pp, 38 K)
- Appendix 8: Notice of Change (NOC) Suggested Forms & Instructions (PDF) (7 pp, 190 K)
- Appendix 9: Minimum Levels and Test Methods for Groundwater Sources of Non-Contact Cooling Water (PDF) (1 pg, 78 K)
Helpful Information and Links
- NCCW GP Fact Sheet (PDF) (47 pp, 294 K)
- NCCW GP Response to Comments (PDF) (4 pp, 119 K)
- Biological Impact of the Permit on endangered species under the jurisdiction of NMFS (PDF) (72 pp, 531 K)
- NPDES NCCW GP Estimated 7Q10 for Current Permittees (PDF) (3 pp, 118 K)
- 2008 NCCW GP (PDF) (PDF) (43 pp, 191 K)
- EPA's Enforcement and Compliance History On-line tracking system (ECHO)
- USFWS Information, Planning, and Conservation System
- National Park Service, National Register of Historic Places web site
EPA Contacts
- Suzanne Warner (warner.suzanne@epa.gov), Permit Writer, 617-918-1383
- Damien Houlihan (houlihan.damien@epa.gov), Engineer, 617-918-1586
- John Nagle (nagle.john@epa.gov), Biologist, 617-918-1054
State Contacts
MassDEP
- Robert Kubit (Robert.Kubit@state.ma.us), 508-767-2854
- MassDEP NCCW Form BRP 11 information
NH DES
- Jeff Andews (jeff.andrews@des.nh.gov), 603-271-2984
- Amy Clark (amy.clark@des.nh.gov), 603-271-0671
Notices of Intent
EPA will begin accepting Notices of Intent (NOIs) after final permit issuance. NOIs will be posted on this page for a minimum of 30 days after EPA receives them. Please contact Suzanne Warner if you have any questions regarding NOIs. See the table below for a chronological listing of NOIs. Older NOIs are listed in the NCCWGP NOI archive.
| State | City/Town | Name of Facility | Date Posted |
|---|---|---|---|