Clean Water Act discharge permit · NPDES SC0020940
COLUMBIA METRO PLANT (SC0020940), Columbia, SC: NPDES SC0020940 discharge permit, effluent exceedances, inspections, penalties
- EffectivePermit status
- MajorDischarger class
- 16Pollutants under a numeric limit
- 14Pollutants with an effluent exceedance
COLUMBIA METRO PLANT (SC0020940), held by Utilities, COLUMBIA CITY OF, holds NPDES permit SC0020940. EPA’s file records it issued September 3, 2019 and expiring May 31, 2023. The status and dates are as EPA’s permit file stood when Velarion loaded it (September 15, 2026); EPA’s free Detailed Facility Report on ECHO carries the permit’s current standing.
Identity
| Facility as filed | COLUMBIA METRO PLANT (SC0020940) |
|---|---|
| Permittee as filed | Utilities, COLUMBIA CITY OF |
| NPDES ID | SC0020940 |
| Permit status | Effective |
| Permit type | Individual permit |
| Discharger class | Major discharger |
| Facility type | Publicly owned treatment works |
| Program | Publicly owned treatment works |
| Issued | September 3, 2019 |
| Expiration date | May 31, 2023 |
| Issuing agency | State |
| Address | Columbia, SC 29201 |
| Subwatershed | Lower Gills Creek-Congaree River (HUC 030501100203) |
| Other EPA IDs (FRS) | RCRA handler SC0000057232; ICIS-AIR source SC00019000021 |
Cited to the EPA ICIS-NPDES permit file (ECHO download); cross-program IDs from EPA’s FRS facility-registry crosswalk.
Effluent limits and exceedances
- 25Pollutants on file
- 16Under a numeric limit
- 23With a violation of any kind
- 14With an effluent exceedance
An effluent exceedance is a discharge monitoring report value over the permit’s numeric limit (EPA’s violation code E90). A violation of any kind also counts a report not filed. Each row is EPA’s own count for that pollutant.
| Pollutant or measure | Limits | Violations, any kind | Effluent exceedances | Latest exceedance | Largest exceedance, as filed |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Nitrogen, ammonia total [as N] | 16 | 47 | 39 | September 30, 2013 | 56% over the limit |
| Solids, total suspended | 8 | 40 | 35 | May 31, 2012 | 4,124% over the limit |
| Coliform, fecal general | 0 | 35 | 33 | August 31, 2017 | 249,900% over the limit |
| BOD, 5-day, 20 deg. C | 16 | 32 | 25 | February 29, 2012 | 99,999% over the limit |
| Chlorine, total residual | 8 | 14 | 12 | June 30, 2026 | 99,999% over the limit |
| E. coli | 8 | 11 | 7 | May 31, 2026 | 99,999% over the limit |
| Oxygen, dissolved [DO] | 2 | 6 | 4 | January 31, 2024 | 24% over the limit |
| BOD, 5-day, percent removal | 2 | 6 | 4 | February 29, 2012 | 99,999% over the limit |
| Copper, total recoverable | 0 | 8 | 2 | February 29, 2008 | 100% over the limit |
| Oxygen demand, ultimate | 8 | 6 | 2 | February 29, 2012 | 99,999% over the limit |
| pH | 4 | 4 | 2 | July 31, 2011 | |
| %Effect Static Renewal 7 Day Chronic Ceriodaphnia dubia | 2 | 4 | 2 | May 31, 2019 | 300% over the limit |
| Solids, suspended percent removal | 2 | 4 | 1 | March 31, 2009 | 47% over the limit |
| Flow, in conduit or thru treatment plant | 4 | 3 | 1 | December 31, 2009 | 5% over the limit |
| Nitrogen, total [as N] | 8 | 8 | 0 | ||
| Phosphorus, total [as P] | 8 | 8 | 0 | ||
| Nitrogen, Kjeldahl, total [as N] | 0 | 8 | 0 | ||
| Nitrite + Nitrate total [as N] | 0 | 8 | 0 | ||
| Mercury, total recoverable | 0 | 1 | 0 | ||
| %Mortality Static Renewal 48Hr Acute Ceriodaphnia dubia | 0 | 1 | 0 | ||
| % Mortality Static Renewal 48 Hr Pimephales promelas or use TJA6C | 0 | 1 | 0 | ||
| IC25 Static Renewal 7 Day Chronic Ceriodaphnia dubia | 0 | 1 | 0 | ||
| IC25 Static Renewal 7 Day Chronic Chrpimephales | 0 | 1 | 0 | ||
| Copper, total [as Cu] | 8 | 0 | 0 | ||
| Mercury, total [as Hg] | 8 | 0 | 0 |
Cited to the EPA ICIS-NPDES limits and effluent violations files (ECHO download); up to 60 rows shown, most exceedances first.
Inspections, violations and enforcement
- 0Single-event violations
EPA’s single-event violation file, as loaded, holds no violation for NPDES SC0020940.
Velarion’s copy of EPA’s ICIS-NPDES files does not include the inspections, formal enforcement actions and informal enforcement actions files, so this page shows none of them. EPA’s free Detailed Facility Report on ECHO lists this permit’s inspections, enforcement actions and penalties.
Cited to the EPA ICIS-NPDES violation, inspection and enforcement files (ECHO download); up to 50 rows of each shown, newest first.
Watch this permit
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EPA publishes a free Detailed Facility Report for every permit on ECHO: its compliance status quarter by quarter, its inspections, and its enforcement actions and penalties. EPA also sends free notices of new inspections and enforcement actions through ECHO Notify; enter NPDES ID SC0020940 there.
Nearby on the register
- Discharge permits in Columbia
- Every permit record in Columbia, A to Z
- Discharge permits in South Carolina
- Every permit record in South Carolina, A to Z
Figures from EPA’s ICIS-NPDES download, loaded September 15, 2026.