Notice of Public Comment Period - Draft Air Quality Permits 6334-R3 thru 6336-R3, U.S. Army Corps of Engineers, Baltimore District, Washington Aqueduct 

PUBLIC NOTICE

Draft Air Quality Permits 6334-R3 through 6336-R3, U.S. Army Corps of Engineers, Baltimore District, Washington Aqueduct, Operation of three existing 5.24 MMBTU/hr dual fuel (natural gas and No. 2 fuel oil) boilers at the Dalecarlia Water Treatment Plant, 5900 MacArthur Boulevard NW, Washington DC.

Notice is hereby given that, pursuant to 20 DCMR §210, the Air Quality Division (AQD) of the Department of Energy and Environment (DOEE), located at 1200 First Street NE, 5th Floor, Washington DC, proposes to issue air quality permit Nos. 6334-R3, 6335-R3, and 6336-R3 to the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers, Baltimore District, Washington Aqueduct to operate three (3) identical dual fuel-fired (natural gas and No. 2 fuel oil) Hurst boilers, rated at 5.24 MMBTU/hr heat input each, and located at the Administration Building of the Dalecarlia Water Treatment Plant, 5900 MacArthur Boulevard NW, Washington DC 20016. The contact person for the facility is Rudolph S. Chow, General Manager, at (202) 345-9910 or [email protected].

Boilers to be Permitted

Emission Estimates

The estimated maximum annual emissions from each of the three (3) 5.24 MMBTU/hr dual fuel-fired (natural gas and No. 2 fuel-oil) Hurst boilers, assuming 8,760 hours per year of operation at maximum capacity on the highest-polluting allowable fuel, are expected to be as follows:

1. ^{The equipment covered consists of three (3) dual fuel-fired (natural gas/No. 2 fuel oil) Hurst Boilers.} 
2. ^{PM Total is the sum of the filterable PM and condensable PM.}

Emission Limitations

The proposed emission limits for the equipment are as follows (from Condition II of the permit):

1. Each of the boilers (identified as Hurst Boiler #1, Hurst Boiler #2, and Hurst Boiler #3) shall not emit pollutants in excess of those specified in the following table [20 DCMR 201]:

^{† PM Total is the sum of the filterable PM and condensable PM.}

2. Visible emissions shall not be emitted into the outdoor atmosphere from either boiler except that discharges shall be permitted for two (2) minutes during any startup, cleaning, adjustment of combustion or operational controls, or regeneration of emission control equipment, provided that such discharge shall not exceed the following opacities (unaveraged) [20 DCMR 606.1 and 606.2]:

   a. When burning exclusively natural gas, twenty percent (20%); and
   b. When burning fuel oil or a combination of fuel oil and natural gas, twenty seven percent (27%).
    

3. Total suspended particulate matter (TSP) emissions from each of the boilers shall not be greater than 0.12 pounds per million BTU. [20 DCMR 600.1]
    
4. An emission into the atmosphere of odorous or other air pollutants from any source in any quantity and of any characteristic, and duration which is, or is likely to be injurious to the public health or welfare, or which interferes with the reasonable enjoyment of life or property is prohibite [20 DCMR 903.1]

Violation of the requirements of this condition that occur as a result of unavoidable malfunction, despite the conscientious employment of control practices, shall be an affirmative defense for which the owner or operator shall bear the burden of proof. A malfunction shall not be considered unavoidable if the owner or operator could have taken, but did not take, appropriate steps to eliminate the malfunction within a reasonable time, as determined by the Department. [20 DCMR 903.13(b)]

Note: This condition is District enforceable only.

The permit application and supporting documentation, along with the draft permit are available for public inspection at AQD and copies may be made available between the hours of 9:00 A.M. and 5:00 P.M. Monday through Friday. Interested parties wishing to view these documents should provide their names, addresses, telephone numbers and affiliation, if any, to Stephen S. Ours at (202) 498-8143 or [email protected]. Copies of the draft permit and related technical support memorandum are also in the attachments section below.

Interested persons may submit written comments or may request a hearing on this subject within 30 days of publication of this notice. The written comments must also include the person’s name, telephone number, affiliation, if any, mailing address, and a statement outlining the air quality issues in dispute and any facts underscoring those air quality issues. All relevant comments will be considered before taking final action on the permit application.

Comments on the proposed permit and any request for a public hearing should be addressed to:

Stephen S. Ours
Chief, Permitting Branch - Air Quality Division

Department of Energy and Environment
1200 First Street NE, 5th Floor
Washington DC 20002

[email protected]

No comments or hearing requests submitted after December 8, 2025 will be accepted.

For more information, please contact Stephen S. Ours at (202) 498-8143