Public hearing to be held Dec. 17 on Lear Corp.’s wastewater discharge permit

The North Carolina Department of Environmental Quality’s Division of Water Resources will hold a hearing on Dec. 17 to hear public comment on the proposed renewal of the National Pollutant Discharge Elimination System permit for Lear Corp.’s industrial textile facility near Kenansville. The permit regulates pollutants discharged in the facility’s wastewater.

The facility, located off N.C. Highway 903 near Kenansville in Duplin County, is involved in the knitting, weaving, dyeing and finishing processes of synthetic fibers. The facility discharges treated domestic and industrial wastewater to the Northeast Cape Fear River in the Cape Fear River Basin. The river is classified as a Class C waterway protected for uses such as aquatic life propagation, and as Sw, or swamp waters.

Based on public input received during the initial comment period held between Feb. 9 and March 28, 2024, the draft permit has been revised.

The revised draft permit includes requirements for the facility to monitor and sample for per – and polyfluoroalkyl substances (PFAS) in the facility’s wastewater discharge, on-site groundwater, and upstream and downstream of the facility’s wastewater discharge point in the Northeast Cape Fear River. 

In addition, the draft includes a compliance schedule detailing requirements for a study and analysis of all PFAS compounds used, processed and released from the site; studies of best available technology (BAT) for controlling PFAS; as well as a study of best management practices (BMPs) for controlling these substances.

The draft permit includes conditions for reopening the permit to impose limits for PFAS if the following information becomes available: Federal Effluent Limitation Guidelines, federal and state surface water quality regulatory standards, performance standards or site-specific criteria after data collection.

Public Hearing Details
When: Tuesday, Dec. 17, 2024, at 6 p.m.
Where: James Sprunt Community College Campus
Monk Auditorium in the Hoffler Building
133 James Sprunt Drive, Kenansville NC 28349
Register: Speaker registration opens at 5:30 p.m. onsite via sign-up sheet.

In addition to accepting public comments at the hearing, written comments will also be accepted until 5 p.m. Dec. 18.

Public comment on the draft permit may be mailed to: Attn: Fenton Brown, Jr., NPDES Wastewater Permitting, Attn: Lear Corporation Permit, 1617 Mail Service Center, Raleigh, N.C., 27699-1617 and postmarked no later than Dec. 18.

Public comments may also be submitted by email to: publiccomments@deq.nc.gov. Please include “Lear Corporation Permit” in the email subject line.

The draft permit and a technical fact sheet can be found online. A condensed fact sheet is also available.

If you require interpretation for the upcoming hearing, please contact Laura Oleniacz at laura.oleniacz@deq.nc.gov by Dec. 10.