Public Notice of Water Quality Permit Renewal Application

We invite you to review and comment on the application for the State Waste Discharge permit renewal for Northwest Alloys, Inc. in Addy (Stevens County).

Requesting a public hearing for oral comments

You may request a public hearing to ask questions and submit verbal comments. To request a hearing, contact Tara Roberts, Industrial Section, P.O. Box 47600, Olympia, WA 98504-7600, tara.roberts@ecy.wa.gov. If we determine there is significant public interest during this comment period to hold a hearing, we will extend the comment period to allow at least 30 days notice of the hearing and publish the time, date and location.

What happens next

When the comment period ends, we'll review the comments and take those into account as we develop the permit.
 

Background

Northwest Alloys, Inc. (NWA) operated a magnesium mine and smelter between 1974 and 2001. In 2001, the smelter was temporarily shut down. In 2022, the smelter was permanently closed. NWA’s application for permit renewal requests that the wastewater includes stormwater, groundwater from the on-site hydraulic control well, Pond 3 concentrated wastewater, shallow groundwater from underneath Pond 3, and potable groundwater.