WAC 463-76-041   Public notice.  (1) The council shall circulate notice of the NPDES application and tentative determination within the geographical areas of the proposed discharge. Circulation shall include one or more of the following:

     (a) Posting for a period of thirty days in the post office and public places of the municipality nearest the premises of the applicant in which the effluent source is located;

     (b) Posting for a period of thirty days at or near the entrance of the applicant's principal place of business and in nearby places;

     (c) Posting on the council's internet web site;

     (d) Publishing in a major local newspaper of general circulation.

     (2) Any persons may, within thirty days following the date of the public notice, submit their written views on the tentative determinations with respect to the NPDES application. All written comments submitted during the thirty-day comment period shall be retained by the council and considered in their final determination with respect to the NPDES applications. The period for comments may be extended at the discretion of the council.

     (3) The contents of public notice of application for NPDES permits shall include at least the following:

     (a) Name, address and telephone number of the council;

     (b) Name and address of applicant;

     (c) Brief description of applicant's activities or operations which result in the discharge described in the NPDES application (e.g., thermal electric power generating facility stationary or floating);

     (d) Name of waterway to which each discharge is made and a short description of the location of each discharge on the waterway, indicating whether such discharge is new, a modification, or an existing discharge;

     (e) A statement of the tentative determination to issue or deny an NPDES permit for the discharge described in the NPDES application;

     (f) A brief description of the procedures for the formulation of final determinations, including the thirty-day comment period required by paragraph (2) of this section and any other means set forth in WAC 463-76-034 (1)(i).

     (g) Address and telephone number of state or interstate agency premises at which interested persons may obtain further information, request a copy of the draft permit prepared pursuant to WAC 463-76-033(2), request a copy of the fact sheet described in WAC 463-76-034 and inspect and copy NPDES forms and related documents at a reasonable charge.

     (4) The council shall notify the applicant and persons who have submitted written comments or requested notice of the final permit decision. This notification shall include response to comments received and reference to the procedures for contesting the decision.

     (5) Public and agency notice will be given as set forth below:

     (a) The council shall mail the notice to any person or group carried on the mailing list identified in WAC 463-76-034(2). Upon written request, the name of any person or group shall be added upon written request to a mailing list for distributing copies of notices for all NPDES applications within the state or within a certain geographical area.

     (b) At the time of issuance of public notice pursuant to this section a fact sheet will be sent to:

     (i) Any other state whose waters may be affected by the issuance of the NPDES permit and to any interstate agency having water quality control authority over waters which may be affected by the issuance of a permit and, upon request, providing such state and interstate agencies with a copy of the NPDES application and a copy of the proposed permit prepared pursuant to WAC 463-76-033(2). Each affected state and interstate agency shall be afforded an opportunity to submit written recommendations to the council and to the regional administrator, which shall be duly considered by the council in accordance with the policies, provisions and regulations of the act, chapter 80.50 RCW et seq., and chapter 34.05 RCW et seq.

     (ii) The district engineer of the Army Corps of Engineers, the United States Fish and Wildlife Service, the United States National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration - Fisheries, the state departments of ecology, fish and wildlife, natural resources, and social and health services, the office of archaeology and historic preservation office, applicable Indian tribes and any other applicable government agency.

     (iii) Any other federal, state or local agency, Indian tribe, upon request and shall provide such agencies an opportunity to respond, comment or request a public hearing pursuant to WAC 463-76-042.



[Statutory Authority: RCW 80.50.040 (1) and (12). 04-21-013, amended and recodified as § 463-76-041, filed 10/11/04, effective 11/11/04. Statutory Authority: RCW 80.50.040. 91-03-090, § 463-38-041, filed 1/18/91, effective 2/18/91; Order 114, § 463-38-041, filed 2/4/77. Formerly WAC 463-16-041.]