A permit renewal at the Warren Generating Station in Starbrick is set to bring additional monitoring to wastewater discharged into the Allegheny River.

The permit application was filed through the Department of Environmental Protection’s Northwest Regional Office under the Clean Water Program by GeonOn REMA LLC, based in Shawville, Pa.

It was filed with DEP on September 29, 2016, and DEP staff indicate on the form an intent to approve the renewal.

“It was determined during the permit renewal review that this facility’s discharge should be regulated under the revised Steam Electric Subcategory as combustion residual leachate,” the permit fact sheet states.

In short, combustion residual leachate is effectively coal ash.

“The 2019 renewal application for the NPDES permit at the Warren Generating Station requests authorization of the discharge of treated leachate and stormwater collected from the closed ash disposal landfill on the site,” Thomas Decker, community relations coordinator with DEP told the Times Observer.

Such discharge isn’t new to the site.

“While the discharge of treated ash disposal landfill leachate to the Allegheny River has existed and been permitted for multiple permit cycles,” Decker explained, “DEP evaluated this treated ash landfill leachate discharge based on information contained in the 2019 renewal permit application, the applicable technology-based requirements for leachate discharges of coal combustion residuals (ash) and new information obtained since the previous permit renewal regarding protection of threatened and endangered species in the Allegheny River.”

He noted an NPDES permit is typically issued for a five-year term.

The result of that review, Decker said, includes changes proposed to the renewal of the permit to “include the addition of monitoring and effluent limitations for oil and grease and monitoring for chloride and nickel.”

He said the public comment period for the permit renewal is open until October 29.