Salmon tankfarming - compare Whole Oceans' and Nordic Aqua farms' applications to discharge wastewater

Two different businesses are proposing salmon tankfarming in the Penobscot Estuary:  Whole Oceans in Bucksport and Nordic Aquafarms in Belfast.  Let's compare Whole Oceans' and Nordic Aqua farms' applications to discharge salmon farming wastewater into the estuary,

Whole Oceans discharge application  ***   Nordic Aquafarms discharge application

SECTIONS COMPARISON  Note: Applications were written slightly differently

WO   Part 1 General application 12 pages
NORDIC 1 General Application (4pgs)

WO Purchase & title 27 pg
NORDIC Options and Purchase agreement 15 pages
 Real Property & Lease Property. 26 pages

WO  Food Processing Facility permit 6pgs  
NORDIC  Food Processing Facilities 8pgs

WO *Estimated Annual Chemical Use for outfall 003. 2pgs
NORDIC Chemicals used in fish farm 4pgs 

WO  Outfall information. 3pgs
NORDIC Outfall Information 2pgs

WO  Water Effluent Flows Sterilizing discharges 4pgs
NORDIC   Wastewater Treatment 9 pages


WHOLE OCEANS  ALL SECTIONS

* Discharge application 12 pages

*  Purchase & title 27 pg

* Topographic map 2pgs  Attach c

*  Food Processing Facility permit 6pgs  Attachment D

* US EPA New  Source Dischargers 5pgs

* Water Effluent Flows Sterilizing discharges 4pgs

* Estimated Annual Chemical Use for outfall 003. 2pgs

 * Fish Rearing Application 4pgs

*  Outfall information from WO. 3pgs

*  Description of waste treatment facilities. 10pgs

* Certificate of Public Outreach

*  WO Rsponses to Significant Issues. 3pages

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NORDIC ALL SECTIONS

1. Pg 1 General Application (4pgs)

2. Pg 5 Options and Purchase agreement 15 pages

3. Pg 20 Real Property & Lease Property. 26 pages

4. Pg 60. Submerged lands application (pipeline). 9 pages

5. Page 69 Wastewater Treatment 9 pages

7. Pg 78. Overall Project Development and Discharge Summary 11pgs

8 Pg 89 Far-field Dilution of Proposed discharge.  9pgs

9 pg 98  Ramboll Belfast Bay Surface Water Discharge Assessment 5pgs

10. Page 103 . Water Quality Summary Belfast Bay. 23pgs

11.  Pg 126 Abutters 7 pgs

12. Pg 133. Public Information meetings.  9pgs

13. Pg 142 Transcript of Public meetings 52 pages 

14. Pg 194  Waiver of presubmission meeting 2pgs

15. Pg 196  Food Processing Facilities 8pgs

16. Pg 204  New Sources and New Dischargers Application for Permit to Discharge Process Wastewater. 6pgs

17. Pg 216  Chemicals used in fish farm 4pgs 

18. Pg 220 Outfall Information

19 Pg 222  to End. Questions and answers  from October 4, 2018 Public Information Meeting. 17pgs

Nordic submits its DEP discharge permit application. Read in 19 sections

On October 19, 2018, Nordic AquaFarms (NAF) submitted its application to discharge wastewater into Penobscot Bay to Gregg Wood of Maine DEP.  Below, read the application broken into its sections for ease of reading . Pg #s 1 - 222 are pagination on  pdf file of the full application

1. Pg 1 General Application (4pgs)

2. Pg 5 Options and Purchase agreement 15 pages

3. Pg 20 Real Property & Lease Property. 26 pages

4. Pg 60. Submerged lands application (pipeline). 9 pages

5. Page 69 Wastewater Treatment 9 pages

7. Pg 78. Overall Project Development and Discharge Summary 11pgs

8 Pg 89 Far-field Dilution of Proposed discharge.  9pgs

9 pg 98  Ramboll Belfast Bay Surface Water Discharge Assessment 5pgs

10. Page 103 . Water Quality Summary Belfast Bay. 23pgs

11.  Pg 126 Abutters 7 pgs

12. Pg 133. Public Information meetings.  9pgs

13. Pg 142 Transcript of Public meetings 52 pages 

14. Pg 194  Waiver of presubmission meeting 2pgs

15. Pg 196  Food Processing Facilities 8pgs

16. Pg 204  New Sources and New Dischargers Application for Permit to Discharge Process Wastewater. 6pgs

17. Pg 216  Chemicals used in fish farm 4pgs 

18. Pg 220 Outfall Information

19 Pg 222  to End. Questions and answers  from October 4, 2018 Public Information Meeting. 17pgs

Maine DEP issues Whole Oceans draft permit for its Bucksport salmon tankfarm

Maine DEP today released Whole Oceans' draft permit to build and operate a salmon tankfarm in Bucksport. Read it here https://tinyurl.com/wo-092818-draft-permit Note: 72 page pdf

Excerpts
"By copy of this letter, the Department is requesting comments on the proposed draft permit from various state and federal agencies and from any other parties who have notified the Department of their interest in this matter. Beginning today, Friday, September 28, 2018, the Department is making the draft permit available for a 30-day public comment period. All comments on the proposed draft permit must be received in the Department of Environmental Protection office on or before the close of business Monday, October 29, 2018. "
........

"On June 4, 2018, and as amended on September 10, 2018, Whole Oceans LLC (Whole Oceans/permittee hereinafter) submitted an application to the Department of Environmental Protection (Department hereinafter) for a new Maine Pollutant Discharge Elimination System (MEPDES) permit/Maine Waste Discharge License (WDL)(permit hereinafter) for the monthly average discharge of 18.6 million gallons per day, subject to the attached conditions of this permit, of waste water associated with a land based recirculating aquaculture system (RAS) to the Penobscot River main stem, "

CONCLUSIONS 
BASED on the findings in the attached and incorporated PROPOSED DRAFT Fact Sheet dated September 28, 2018, and subject to the Conditions listed below, the Department makes the following CONCLUSIONS:

1. The discharge, either by itself or in combination with other discharges, will not lower the quality of any classified body of water below such classification.

2. The discharge, either by itself or in combination with other discharges, will not lower the quality of any unclassified body of water below the classification which the Department expects to adopt in accordance with State law.

3. The provisions of the State’s antidegradation policy, Classification of Maine waters, 38 M.R.S. § 464(4)(F), will be met, in that:
(a) Existing in-stream water uses and the level of water quality necessary to protect and maintain those existing uses will be maintained and protected;
(b) Where high quality waters of the State constitute an outstanding national resource, that water quality will be maintained and protected;
(c) Where the standards of classification of the receiving waterbody are not met, the discharge will not cause or contribute to the failure of the waterbody to meet the standards of classification;
(d) Where the actual quality of any classified receiving waterbody exceeds the minimum standards of the next highest classification that higher water quality will be maintained and protected; and
 (e) Where a discharge will result in lowering the existing water quality of any waterbody, the Department has made the finding, following opportunity for public participation, that this action is necessary to achieve important economic or social benefits to the State.

4. The discharge will be subject to effluent limitations that require application of best practicable treatment as defined in 38 M.R.S. § 414-A(1)(D)

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The permittee discharges to the estuarine portion of the Penobscot River, which is strongly influenced by freshwater during high spring flows, large rainfall events, and during ebb tides. These conditions make it very difficult to accurately define the mixing characteristics of the effluent from the permittee’s facility and the receiving water at any given point in time.

NORDIC Aquafarms: results from 9/17/18 FOAA request to DEP

Documents  from 9/17/18  Freedom of Access Act  request to MDEP Commissioner Paul Mercer concerning Nordic Aqua Farm-related documents from September 1, 2018 to September 17, 2018

* FOPB FOAA  Request 9/17/18

* 9/6/18 Greg Wood to Witherill

* 9/10/18 MDEP Kavanah, Witherill, Brewer & Wood

* 9/10/18 - 9/12/18 Kavanah, Witherill, Brewer, Martin, Mohlar and Ransom

* 9/11/18 letter from Erin Herbig to DEP Commissioner Paul Mercer   *

* 9/19/18 - 9/12/18 Cianbro Jacques_to DEP Mercer

* 9/12/18 Nordic Preapplication mtg draft attendees

* 9/12/18 Preapplication meeting actual attendees

* 9/12/19 Nordic Preapplication mtg handwritten notes 1

* 9/12/18  Nordic Preapplication mtg handwritten notes2

* 9/12/18 Nordic Preapplication mtg draft notes

* 9/12/18 Nordic Preapplication mtg notes final

*  9/13/18 - 9/14/18  Ransom/Wood and Wood/Ransom

*  09/17/18 to 9/19/18 Cianbro Jacques to DEP Mercer 




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* http://penbay.org/aq/nordic/nordic_foaa_/foaa_nordic_sept_2018_ransom_wood_0913_14_2018.pdf

Belfast: 10/4/18 Nordic Aquafarms public info meeting

On October 4, 2018 Nordic Aqua Farms held a required Public ionformation meeting about its proposed discharge into Penobscot Bay  The meeting was at the Troy Howard middle school and at least 200 people attended the overwhelming majority opposed to the plan. 

Video of full meeting         Bangor Daily News coverage

 Audio Selections
1 Ellie Daniels 12min

2. Andrew Stevenson 6min

Rockland Harbor Mgmt Plan Committee meets, discusses public access to harbor

Rockland's Ad Hoc Harbor Management Plan Committee met October4, 2018  to continue their work with consultant Noel Musson developing a new city Harbor Management plan.

Musson emphasized the importance of developing a thorough harbor inventory: the physical setting including depths, channels etc.

1. Ron Huber on meeting participation by interested parties 1min 25sec 

3. Harbor Access discussion 36min

4. Full meeting 2hrs 

Maine governor candidates got queried on seafood & marine policy. 10/4/18

On October 4, 2018 ,candidates for Maine Governor  Alan Caron, Terry Hayes  Janet Mills &  Shawn Moody  took turns responding to questions from marine fishery related organizations  and others. Here are the questions and answers from the 1st hour (2nd hr not available yet)

* Question 1 who hire to run DMR? 7min 21sec

* Question 2 Right Whales regs? 8min 34sec 

* Question3  Keeping waterfront access for fishermen. 7min 34 sec

* Question 4   Offshore Wind and fisheries? 8min 

* Question 5. Who would be your seafood and marine environment mentors? 8min 
* 
Question 6. Janet Mills' summation 3min (early departure)