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Public Notice: Proposed NPDES Permit Renewal for Buena Vue Casino Wastewater Treatment Plant, Ione, CA

How to Comment

Comments accepted through: 12/04/2020

EPA is soliciting comments on the draft permit. EPA will consider all comments received during the comment period before taking final action. To submit comments, or to obtain additional information including the proposed permit and administrative records, please contact:

Linh Tran (tran.linh@epa.gov)
(415) 972-3511
EPA Region 9 (WTR-2-3)

Currently, EPA is only able to receive comments or requests via email. If you are unable to submit electronically or need other assistance, please contact the Permits Office contact listed above or, if unavailable, the responsible EPA program’s general contact email or phone number. If you need assistance in a language other than English or if you are a person with disabilities who needs a reasonable accommodation at no cost to you, please reach out to the Permits Office contact by email or phone.

Do not submit any information you consider to be Confidential Business Information. Multimedia submissions (audio, video, etc.) must be accompanied by a written comment. The written comment is considered the official comment and should include discussion of all points you wish to make.

Draft Permit and Fact Sheet

Publish Date: 11/04/2020

Summary

EPA is issuing a notice of proposed action under the Clean Water Act. EPA is proposing to issue a National Pollutant Discharge Elimination System (NPDES) permit renewal (No. AZ0022829) to Buena Vista Rancheria of Me-Wuk Indians for the discharge of treated effluent from the Buena Vue Casino Wastewater Treatment Plant (“WWTP”) located in Ione, Amador County, California. The Buena Vue Casino which is now known as Harrah’s Northern California Casino began operation in April 2019 and has approximately 24,000 square feet of gaming, with 950 slot machines, 20 table games, and a restaurant steakhouse and a three-tiered food court.

The treatment plant receives domestic sewage from the casino for a design flow rate of 0.08 million gallons per day. Wastewater generated from the casino includes sewage, restaurant washwaters, and miscellaneous wastewater from guest support services. The WWTP does not serve residential connections nor accept wastewater from any industrial facilities. Effluent treatment is provided through an immersed membrane bioreactor (“MBR”) tertiary treatment system comprised of an anoxic tank section, an aeration tank section, and a pair of membrane sections, and fine screening and ultraviolet disinfection. Treated effluent is discharged at Outfall 001 via a constructed vegetated swale to a ditch which runs alongside Coal Mine Road and drains under the road via a culvert where it continues to a drainage ditch tributary to Jackson Creek, a tributary to Dry Creek and the lower Mokelumne River, all waters of the U.S. Outfall 001 is located at latitude 38° 16’ 23” North, longitude 120° 54’ 36” West in Amador County, California.

EPA is also soliciting comments regarding issuance of a Clean Water Act Section 401 water quality certification for this permit. Under Section 401, a federal agency may not issue a permit that may result in any discharge into waters of the United States unless a state or authorized tribe where the discharge would originate issues a 401 certification verifying compliance with existing water quality requirements or waives the certification requirement. For permits on tribal lands, if a tribe does not have authority to issue a 401 certification, EPA makes the determination regarding the 401 certification. Buena Vista Rancheria of Me-Wuk Indians does not have authority to issue 401 certifications. For additional information on 401 certification, see Overview of Certification under Section 401 of the Clean Water Act.

***Please bring the foregoing notice to the attention of all persons who would be interested in this matter. ***

Applicant or Respondent

Buena Vista Rancheria of Me-Wuk Indians
1418 20th Street
Sacramento, CA 95811

Permit #: NPDES Permit No. CA0049675

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