Ohio EPA sets public meeting for coal dock permit

SANDUSKY — The Ohio EPA scheduled a public meeting at 6 p.m. May 24 at Sandusky City Hall to discuss a proposed wastewater discharge permit for Sandusky Dock Corp., which runs the coal dock.The meeting will be in the city commission's meeting room, on the first floor at 222 Meigs St. The meeting will start with an information session and continue into a hearing that will take comments from the public.If the permit is approved, the company will have to monitor the discharge of an average of 144,000 gallons per day of treated stormwater and process wastewater, the EPA said.Sandusky Dock Corp. is not changing its operations, said Dina Pierce, a spokeswoman for the Ohio EPA.Pierce said until now the site has been covered by an existing industrial stormwater general permit, which allows it to release stormwater from rain or snow. A general permit isn't specific to any site but is issued to many similar sites.A recent inspection, however, showed that the site also is producing runoff of process water from its coal dust suppression system, requiring the site to obtain an individual permit specific to the location, Pierce said.All of the water from the site is treated, placed in settling ponds and then discharged into Mills Creek, Pierce said.Reach reporter Tom Jackson at jackson@sanduskyregister.com and follow him on Twitter @jacksontom.A view of the Sandusky Coal Dock facility from below the Robert S. Pierson freighter on August 24, 2014.