Ohio EPA approves wastewater permit for proposed Ashtabula Energy facility

The Ohio Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) said Friday that it has approved a wastewater discharge permit for Ashtabula Energy’s proposed processing plant, which will give the company a wastewater discharge allowance of 1.625 million gallons into Lake Erie per day.

The plant, which is planned for the east side of the EMC facility in Ashtabula, will produce diesel fuel and other substances from natural gas. Due to its processes, it will create discharge including cooling water, water treatment plant residuals, sanitary wastewater and treated process waste streams, as well as stormwater not associated with the plant’s activities.

Ashtabula Energy will be permitted to discharge nearly 550 million gallons of these substances into Lake Erie each year, but all of the process and sanitary wastewater is required to undergo cleaning and treatment before discharge.

The Ohio EPA’s decision to grant the permit comes after considering numerous public comments and two public meetings on the subject, which can be viewed with the final permit online and at the agency’s Northeast District Office, upon appointment. Any appeals of the permit’s issuance must be filed within 30 days of the final action.