Rockwool Operational Stormwater Permit

Just like all other industrial entities, Rockwool must have a permit to discharge water from its site. Water leaves Rockwool’s facility in one of only three ways: Effluent from restrooms, showers, and sinks along with the wastewater from the facility’s reverse osmosis and water softening processes goes to the sanitary sewer; as steam with air pollutants via the smokestacks; and the remainder all leaves as stormwater by direct infiltration into the groundwater through one of Rockwool’s grassy surfaces or discharges through one of Rockwool’s two outlets and then infiltrates into the groundwater. This last route is currently covered during operation by Rockwool’s registration under a state general permit, also known as the Multi-sector permit.

The National Pollutant Discharge Elimination System (NPDES) program under the Clean Water Act protects the water quality of waters of the US (navigable waters) and waters of the State (surface and groundwater). The West Virginia Department of Environmental Protection (DEP) has been delegated the duty and responsibility of administering the NPDES program in West Virginia by the Environmental Protection Agency (EPA). As the administrator, the DEP grants permits, monitors compliance, and carries out enforcement with permits, laws, and regulations.

The DEP has approved Rockwool’s inadaquate, inaccurate, and inappropriate application for registration under the General Permit (Multi-sector permit) instead of requiring Rockwool to have an individual permit tailered to its location on a vulnerable karst aquifer, the significant risk of pollution its operation poses, and its novel rainwater reuse system with very large wet ponds.

The Rockwool facility could be a lot safer if it changed its stormwater design to better protect the groundwater and if it implemented a better groundwater monitoring program. The DEP needs to require Rockwool to do so through an individual NPDES process.