Discussions continue regarding the discharge permit at the Warren Generating Station.

Under decades of previous permits, treated water that “percolated through or drained from solid waste” as well as stormwater have been discharged into the Allegheny River from the Warren Generating Station in Starbrick.

DEP has promised an additional comment period and a public hearing regarding the proposal.

The leachate “in this case, would be the liquid that drains from the closed ash disposal landfill,” according to an October release from DEP Press Secretary Elizabeth Rementer. “It’s important to note that any discharges into the river must be treated to remove contaminants and be in compliance with the federal Clean Water Act and state Clean Streams Law.”

Warren County Commissioner Jeff Eggleston said he recently met with DEP, Senator Scott Hutchinson and Representative Kathy Rapp.

Eggleston reported that DEP said it is “doing a radiological test and series of other tests” that are “above and beyond what the permit application renewal requires.”

He said those steps are being taken “to accommodate questions in the community” and explained DEP is “going to wait until those radiological tests are done to have a public hearing which would be in the spring. My assumption would be April or May.”

Eggleston said he is “very happy with” Hutchinson’s and Rapp’s “interest in kind of addressing a lot of the questions that were addressed earlier this year.”