ADEM holds hearing on draft MPDES permit AL0084447 for Integra Water’s proposed Flint River discharge

Alexander Chambers, the designated hearing officer for the Alabama Department of Environmental Management, opened a public hearing on the department’s preliminary decision on MPDES/NPDES permit AL0084447, an application by Integra Water Madison County LLC to discharge treated domestic wastewater from a new water reclamation facility to the Flint River.

Dustin Stokes, chief of the municipal section in ADEM’s water division, told the hearing that the draft permit would regulate an initial design capacity of 250,000 gallons per day from an outfall designated 0011 and includes an expansion to a total design capacity of 990,000 gallons per day from an outfall designated 0012. Stokes said the Flint River is classified as fish and wildlife and that ADEM developed permit terms “in accordance with applicable state and federal regulations,” adding that ADEM’s preliminary determination is that compliance with the draft permit would not result in violations of state water quality standards. Stokes also emphasized the agency’s legal limits, saying ADEM may only consider water‑quality factors in its final permitting decision.

The hearing record will include all oral testimony and written comments submitted before the close of the public comment period; Chambers said documents including the permit application, preliminary determination, and draft permit were posted on ADEM’s website and available at 1400 Coliseum Boulevard in Montgomery. The department said it will consider the full record before making a final decision and will post the final determination and response to comments to its e‑file system.