Public Notice: Ocean Era Draft Modified NPDES Permit (FL0A00001)
Summary
The EPA intends to issue a modified NPDES permit to Ocean Era, LLC (current permit number FL0A00001). The draft modified NPDES permit authorizes the discharge of industrial wastewater from a marine net-pen aquaculture facility located in federal waters of the Gulf of Mexico at approximately 45 miles southwest of Sarasota, Florida. The facility includes a support vessel and a single cage in a water depth of approximately 130 feet. The project would culture a single cycle of approximately 20,000 Red Drum (Sciaenops ocellatus) and produce a maximum annual harvest of 55,000 lbs. The draft modified NPDES permit establishes conditions on the effluent discharge and was drafted in accordance with the provisions of the Clean Water Act (CWA) and other lawful standards and regulations.
The EPA has tentatively decided to modify a permit that is currently effective pursuant to 40 CFR 124.5(c). When a permit is modified, only the conditions that are modified shall be reopened for public comment when a new draft permit is prepared. All other aspects of the currently effective permit shall remain in effect for the duration of the unmodified permit. Given that a NPDES permit for this facility was previously issued during 2022, only comments that are related to the revised conditions within the draft modified permit will be considered. Therefore, the EPA is soliciting comments from the public on the revised conditions of draft modified permit and the administrative record that was prepared to support the draft modified NPDES permit.
The modified draft permit contains four revisions compared to the currently effective permit: 1) the maximum fish production level has been reduced from 88,000 lbs to 55,000 lbs on the cover page of the draft permit; 2) the cultured fish species (red drum) has been included in Part II.A of the permit; 3) effluent monitoring for total copper has been removed from Table 1 of Permit Part II.A.1 in light of the permittee’s decision to use a material other than copper for the net pen; and 4) a provision clarifying that the intentional or negligent release of produced fish is prohibited has been included in Permit Part II.B.15. All other conditions of the currently effective permit and the draft modified permit remain the same.
Applicants or Respondents
Ocean Era, LLC.P.O. Box 4239
Kailua-Kona, HI 96745-4239
United States
Docket Numbers
- EPA-R04-OW-2024-0113