§125.136. As an owner or operator of a new offshore oil and gas extraction facility, what must I collect and submit when I apply for my new or reissued NPDES permit? — Inbound Citations

(i) New facilities (other than offshore oil and gas extraction facilities) with cooling water intake structures as defined in part 125, subpart I of this chapter, must submit to the Director for review the information required under paragraphs (r)(2) (except (r)(2)(iv)), (3), and (4) (except (r)(4)(ix), (x), (xi), and (xii)) of this section and § 125.86 of this chapter as part of the permit application. New offshore oil and gas extraction facilities with cooling water intake structures as defined in part 125, subpart N, of this chapter that are fixed facilities must submit to the Director for review the information required under paragraphs (r)(2) (except (r)(2)(iv)), (3), and (4) (except (r)(4)(ix), (x), (xi), and (xii)) of this section and § 125.136 of this chapter as part of their permit application.

(a) You must keep records of all the data used to complete the permit application and show compliance with the requirements, any supplemental information developed under § 125.136, and any compliance monitoring data submitted under § 125.137, for a period of at least three (3) years from the date of permit issuance. The Director may require that these records be kept for a longer period.

(a) As the Director, you must review materials submitted by the applicant under 40 CFR 122.21(r), § 125.135, and § 125.136 at the time of the initial permit application and before each permit renewal or reissuance.

(1) After receiving the initial permit application from the owner or operator of a new offshore oil and gas extraction facility, the Director must determine applicable standards in § 125.134 or § 125.135 to apply to the new offshore oil and gas extraction facility. In addition, the Director must review materials to determine compliance with the applicable standards.

(2) For each subsequent permit renewal, the Director must review the application materials and monitoring data to determine whether requirements, or additional requirements, for design and construction technologies or operational measures should be included in the permit.

(3) For Track II facilities, the Director may review the information collection proposal plan required by § 125.136(c)(2)(ii). The facility may initiate sampling and data collection activities prior to receiving comment from the Director.

(6) You must submit the applicable application information required in 40 CFR 122.21(r) and § 125.136(b). If you are a fixed facility you must submit the information required in 40 CFR 122.21(r)(2) (except (r)(2)(iv)), (3), and (4) and § 125.136(b) of this subpart as part of your application. If you are a not a fixed facility, you must only submit the information required in 40 CFR 122.21(r)(2)(iv), (r)(3) (except (r)(3)(ii)) and § 125.136(b) as part of your application.

(b) To demonstrate compliance with Track I requirements in § 125.134(b), you must collect and submit to the Director the information in paragraphs (b)(1) through (3) of this section.

(1) You must submit the following information to the Director to demonstrate that you are complying with the requirement to meet a maximum through-screen design intake velocity of no more than 0.5 ft/s at each cooling water intake structure as required in § 125.134(b)(2):

(i) A narrative description of the design, structure, equipment, and operation used to meet the velocity requirement; and

(ii) Design calculations showing that the velocity requirement will be met at minimum ambient source water surface elevations (based on best professional judgment using available hydrological data) and maximum head loss across the screens or other device.

(2) If you are a fixed facility and your cooling water intake structure is located in an estuary or tidal river, you must provide the mean low water tidal excursion distance and any supporting documentation and engineering calculations to show that your cooling water intake structure facility meets the flow requirements in § 125.134(b)(3).

(3) To comply with § 125.134(b)(4) and/or (5), if applicable, you must submit to the Director the following information in a Design and Construction Technology Plan:

(i) If the Director determines that additional impingement requirements should be included in your permit:

(A) Information to demonstrate whether or not you meet the criteria in § 125.134(b)(4);

(B) Delineation of the hydraulic zone of influence for your cooling water intake structure;

(ii) New offshore oil and gas extraction facilities required to install design and construction technologies and/or operational measures must develop a plan explaining the technologies and measures you have selected. (Examples of appropriate technologies include, but are not limited to, increased opening to cooling water intake structure to decrease design intake velocity, wedgewire screens, fixed screens, velocity caps, location of cooling water intake opening in waterbody, etc. Examples of appropriate operational measures include, but are not limited to, seasonal shutdowns or reductions in flow, continuous operations of screens, etc.) The plan must contain the following information, if applicable:

(A) A narrative description of the design and operation of the design and construction technologies, including fish-handling and return systems, that you will use to maximize the survival of those species expected to be most susceptible to impingement. Provide species-specific information that demonstrates the efficacy of the technology;

(B) To demonstrate compliance with § 125.134(b)(5), if applicable, a narrative description of the design and operation of the design and construction technologies that you will use to minimize entrainment of those species expected to be the most susceptible to entrainment. Provide species-specific information that demonstrates the efficacy of the technology; and

(C) Design calculations, drawings, and estimates to support the descriptions provided in paragraphs (b)(3)(ii)(A) and (B) of this section.

(b) To demonstrate compliance with Track I requirements in § 125.134(b), you must collect and submit to the Director the information in paragraphs (b)(1) through (3) of this section.

(1) You must submit the following information to the Director to demonstrate that you are complying with the requirement to meet a maximum through-screen design intake velocity of no more than 0.5 ft/s at each cooling water intake structure as required in § 125.134(b)(2):

(i) A narrative description of the design, structure, equipment, and operation used to meet the velocity requirement; and

(ii) Design calculations showing that the velocity requirement will be met at minimum ambient source water surface elevations (based on best professional judgment using available hydrological data) and maximum head loss across the screens or other device.

(2) If you are a fixed facility and your cooling water intake structure is located in an estuary or tidal river, you must provide the mean low water tidal excursion distance and any supporting documentation and engineering calculations to show that your cooling water intake structure facility meets the flow requirements in § 125.134(b)(3).

(3) To comply with § 125.134(b)(4) and/or (5), if applicable, you must submit to the Director the following information in a Design and Construction Technology Plan:

(i) If the Director determines that additional impingement requirements should be included in your permit:

(A) Information to demonstrate whether or not you meet the criteria in § 125.134(b)(4);

(B) Delineation of the hydraulic zone of influence for your cooling water intake structure;

(ii) New offshore oil and gas extraction facilities required to install design and construction technologies and/or operational measures must develop a plan explaining the technologies and measures you have selected. (Examples of appropriate technologies include, but are not limited to, increased opening to cooling water intake structure to decrease design intake velocity, wedgewire screens, fixed screens, velocity caps, location of cooling water intake opening in waterbody, etc. Examples of appropriate operational measures include, but are not limited to, seasonal shutdowns or reductions in flow, continuous operations of screens, etc.) The plan must contain the following information, if applicable:

(A) A narrative description of the design and operation of the design and construction technologies, including fish-handling and return systems, that you will use to maximize the survival of those species expected to be most susceptible to impingement. Provide species-specific information that demonstrates the efficacy of the technology;

(B) To demonstrate compliance with § 125.134(b)(5), if applicable, a narrative description of the design and operation of the design and construction technologies that you will use to minimize entrainment of those species expected to be the most susceptible to entrainment. Provide species-specific information that demonstrates the efficacy of the technology; and

(C) Design calculations, drawings, and estimates to support the descriptions provided in paragraphs (b)(3)(ii)(A) and (B) of this section.

(4) This information is required to characterize the biological community in the vicinity of the cooling water intake structure and to characterize the operation of the cooling water intake structures. The Director may also use this information in subsequent permit renewal proceedings to determine if your Design and Construction Technology Plan as required in § 125.86(b)(4) or § 125.136(b)(3) of this chapter should be revised. This supporting information must include existing data (if they are available). However, you may supplement the data using newly conducted field studies if you choose to do so. The information you submit must include:

(i) A list of the data in paragraphs (r)(4)(ii) through (vi) of this section that are not available and efforts made to identify sources of the data;

(ii) A list of species (or relevant taxa) for all life stages and their relative abundance in the vicinity of the cooling water intake structure;

(iii) Identification of the species and life stages that would be most susceptible to impingement and entrainment. Species evaluated should include the forage base as well as those most important in terms of significance to commercial and recreational fisheries;

(iv) Identification and evaluation of the primary period of reproduction, larval recruitment, and period of peak abundance for relevant taxa;

(v) Data representative of the seasonal and daily activities (e.g., feeding and water column migration) of biological organisms in the vicinity of the cooling water intake structure;

(vi) Identification of all threatened, endangered, and other protected species that might be susceptible to impingement and entrainment at your cooling water intake structures;

(vii) Documentation of any public participation or consultation with Federal or State agencies undertaken in development of the plan; and

(viii) If you supplement the information requested in paragraph (r)(4)(i) of this section with data collected using field studies, supporting documentation for the Source Water Baseline Biological Characterization must include a description of all methods and quality assurance procedures for sampling, and data analysis including a description of the study area; taxonomic identification of sampled and evaluated biological assemblages (including all life stages of fish and shellfish); and sampling and data analysis methods. The sampling and/or data analysis methods you use must be appropriate for a quantitative survey and based on consideration of methods used in other biological studies performed within the same source water body. The study area should include, at a minimum, the area of influence of the cooling water intake structure.

(ix) In the case of the owner or operator of an existing facility or new unit at an existing facility, the Source Water Baseline Biological Characterization Data is the information in paragraphs (r)(4)(i) through (xii) of this section.

(x) For the owner or operator of an existing facility, identification of protective measures and stabilization activities that have been implemented, and a description of how these measures and activities affected the baseline water condition in the vicinity of the intake.

(xi) For the owner or operator of an existing facility, a list of fragile species, as defined at 40 CFR 125.92(m), at the facility. The applicant need only identify those species not already identified as fragile at 40 CFR 125.92(m). New units at an existing facility are not required to resubmit this information if the cooling water withdrawals for the operation of the new unit are from an existing intake.

(xii) For the owner or operator of an existing facility that has obtained incidental take exemption or authorization for its cooling water intake structure(s) from the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service or the National Marine Fisheries Service, any information submitted in order to obtain that exemption or authorization may be used to satisfy the permit application information requirement of paragraph 40 CFR 125.95(f) if included in the application.

(b) To demonstrate compliance with Track I requirements in § 125.134(b), you must collect and submit to the Director the information in paragraphs (b)(1) through (3) of this section.

(1) You must submit the following information to the Director to demonstrate that you are complying with the requirement to meet a maximum through-screen design intake velocity of no more than 0.5 ft/s at each cooling water intake structure as required in § 125.134(b)(2):

(i) A narrative description of the design, structure, equipment, and operation used to meet the velocity requirement; and

(ii) Design calculations showing that the velocity requirement will be met at minimum ambient source water surface elevations (based on best professional judgment using available hydrological data) and maximum head loss across the screens or other device.

(2) If you are a fixed facility and your cooling water intake structure is located in an estuary or tidal river, you must provide the mean low water tidal excursion distance and any supporting documentation and engineering calculations to show that your cooling water intake structure facility meets the flow requirements in § 125.134(b)(3).

(3) To comply with § 125.134(b)(4) and/or (5), if applicable, you must submit to the Director the following information in a Design and Construction Technology Plan:

(i) If the Director determines that additional impingement requirements should be included in your permit:

(A) Information to demonstrate whether or not you meet the criteria in § 125.134(b)(4);

(B) Delineation of the hydraulic zone of influence for your cooling water intake structure;

(ii) New offshore oil and gas extraction facilities required to install design and construction technologies and/or operational measures must develop a plan explaining the technologies and measures you have selected. (Examples of appropriate technologies include, but are not limited to, increased opening to cooling water intake structure to decrease design intake velocity, wedgewire screens, fixed screens, velocity caps, location of cooling water intake opening in waterbody, etc. Examples of appropriate operational measures include, but are not limited to, seasonal shutdowns or reductions in flow, continuous operations of screens, etc.) The plan must contain the following information, if applicable:

(A) A narrative description of the design and operation of the design and construction technologies, including fish-handling and return systems, that you will use to maximize the survival of those species expected to be most susceptible to impingement. Provide species-specific information that demonstrates the efficacy of the technology;

(B) To demonstrate compliance with § 125.134(b)(5), if applicable, a narrative description of the design and operation of the design and construction technologies that you will use to minimize entrainment of those species expected to be the most susceptible to entrainment. Provide species-specific information that demonstrates the efficacy of the technology; and

(C) Design calculations, drawings, and estimates to support the descriptions provided in paragraphs (b)(3)(ii)(A) and (B) of this section.

(i) For a facility that chooses Track I, you must review the Design and Construction Technology Plan required in § 125.136(b)(3) to evaluate the suitability and feasibility of the technology proposed to minimize impingement mortality and (if applicable) entrainment of all life stages of fish and shellfish. In the first permit issued, you must include a condition requiring the facility to reduce impingement mortality and/or entrainment commensurate with the implementation of the technologies in the permit. Under subsequent permits, the Director must review the performance of the technologies implemented and require additional or different design and construction technologies, if needed to minimize impingement mortality and/or entrainment of all life stages of fish and shellfish. In addition, you must consider whether more stringent conditions are reasonably necessary in accordance with § 125.134(d).

(3) You must submit the applicable information required in 40 CFR 122.21(r)(2) (except (r)(2)(iv)), (3) and (4) and § 125.136(c);

(2) Monitoring must characterize the impingement rates and (if applicable) entrainment rates) of commercial, recreational, and forage base fish and shellfish species identified in the Source Water Baseline Biological Characterization data required by 40 CFR 122.21(r)(4), identified in the Comprehensive Demonstration Study required by § 125.136(c)(2), or as specified by the Director.

(ii) For a fixed facility that chooses Track II, you must review the information submitted with the Comprehensive Demonstration Study information required in § 125.136(c)(2), evaluate the suitability of the proposed design and construction technology and/or operational measures to determine whether they will reduce both impingement mortality and/or entrainment of all life stages of fish and shellfish to 90 percent or greater of the reduction that could be achieved through Track I. In addition, you must review the Verification Monitoring Plan in § 125.136(c)(2)(iii)(C) and require that the proposed monitoring begin at the start of operations of the cooling water intake structure and continue for a sufficient period of time to demonstrate that the technologies and operational measures meet the requirements in § 125.134(c)(1). Under subsequent permits, the Director must review the performance of the additional and /or different technologies or measures used and determine that they reduce the level of adverse environmental impact from the cooling water intake structures to a comparable level that the facility would achieve were it to implement the requirements of § 125.134(b)(2) and, if applicable, § 125.134(b)(5).

(3) For Track II facilities, the Director may review the information collection proposal plan required by § 125.136(c)(2)(ii). The facility may initiate sampling and data collection activities prior to receiving comment from the Director.

(ii) For a fixed facility that chooses Track II, you must review the information submitted with the Comprehensive Demonstration Study information required in § 125.136(c)(2), evaluate the suitability of the proposed design and construction technology and/or operational measures to determine whether they will reduce both impingement mortality and/or entrainment of all life stages of fish and shellfish to 90 percent or greater of the reduction that could be achieved through Track I. In addition, you must review the Verification Monitoring Plan in § 125.136(c)(2)(iii)(C) and require that the proposed monitoring begin at the start of operations of the cooling water intake structure and continue for a sufficient period of time to demonstrate that the technologies and operational measures meet the requirements in § 125.134(c)(1). Under subsequent permits, the Director must review the performance of the additional and /or different technologies or measures used and determine that they reduce the level of adverse environmental impact from the cooling water intake structures to a comparable level that the facility would achieve were it to implement the requirements of § 125.134(b)(2) and, if applicable, § 125.134(b)(5).