The North Carolina Department of Environmental Quality’s Division of Water Resources (DWR) has approved the Clean Water Act Section 401 water quality certification for the proposed T-15 Reliability Project proposed by Public Services Company of North Carolina (PSNC), which is doing business in North Carolina as Enbridge Gas North Carolina.
The decision follows a comprehensive review process that included several opportunities for public engagement. DWR held hearings on June 12 and June 24 to accept feedback on the application for a 401 water quality certification, in addition to accepting comments by mail and email. Responses to public comments are included in the accompanying hearing officer’s report.
The 401 water quality certification assesses whether the proposal meets state water quality requirements, including whether the project has avoided or minimized impacts to surface waters or wetlands, among other considerations.
The proposed T-15 pipeline, put forward by Enbridge subsidiary PSNC, will link to the Mountain Valley Pipeline (MVP) Southgate extension. Once operational, this pipeline will deliver natural gas to new Duke Energy power plants near Hyco Lake in Person County.
Because the project spans over 100 water crossings, Enbridge must implement a private well identification and testing plan as a condition of the permit.
