Clean Water Act discharge permit · NPDES TN0076155

KAREN BROWN MINE 31, Gleason, TN: NPDES TN0076155 discharge permit, effluent exceedances, inspections, penalties

Administratively continuedPermit status
MinorDischarger class
4Pollutants under a numeric limit
2Pollutants with an effluent exceedance
1Inspections on file
0Formal enforcement actions

KAREN BROWN MINE 31, held by Lhoist North America of TN, LLC dba Spinks Clay Co., holds NPDES permit TN0076155, which discharges to Obion-South Fork. EPA’s file records it issued March 21, 2019 and expiring May 31, 2024.

KAREN BROWN MINE 31, Gleason, Tennessee: Individual permit TN0076155, held by Lhoist North America of TN, LLC dba Spinks Clay Co.; Industrial stormwater; Administratively continued (past its expiration date and still in force until reissued); issued March 21, 2019, term to May 31, 2024, by TDEC - DWR; discharges to Obion-South Fork; Kaolin, Clay, and Ceramic and Refractory Minerals Mining.

Solids, total suspended: 10 limits, 230 violations of any kind, 9 effluent exceedances, latest February 28, 2023, largest 314% over the limit.
pH: 12 limits, 228 violations of any kind, 6 effluent exceedances, latest June 30, 2021.
Flow, in conduit or thru treatment plant: 8 limits, 220 violations of any kind, 0 effluent exceedances.
Oil & Grease: 2 limits, 1 violation of any kind, 0 effluent exceedances.

June 4, 2026: Evaluation (S).

Tennessee holds 265 Industrial stormwater coverages of this permit type in EPA’s file; 76 were issued before TN0076155. Lhoist North America of TN, LLC dba Spinks Clay Co. holds 2 permits in Tennessee.

Other permits held by Lhoist North America of TN, LLC dba Spinks Clay Co.

H.C. SPINKS CLAY COMPANY, INC., - DBA LHOIST NORTH AMERICA - MINE 34 - ORR, Clarksburg: TN0079774, issued December 15, 2020

Coverages issued nearest TN0076155

February 1, 2019: SIGNAL MOUNTAIN CEMENT COMPANY DBA BUZZI UNICEM USA, Chattanooga, TN0001830, held by Signal Mountain Cement Company
February 1, 2019: DIAGEO AMERICAS SUPPLY DBA CASCADE HOLLOW DISTILLING COMPANY, Tullahoma, TN0002470, held by Cascade Hollow Distilling Company
February 1, 2019: ERGON ASPHALT AND EMULSIONS, INC., Parsons, TN0041106, held by Ergon Asphalt and Emulsions, Inc.
February 13, 2019: RICHARDSON OILSEED PRODUCTS (US) LIMITED, INC., Memphis, TN0000132, held by Richardson Oilseed Products (US) Limited, Inc.
March 1, 2019: BUCKMAN LABORATORIES INCORPORATED, Memphis, TN0040606, held by Buckman Laboratories, Inc.
April 3, 2019: VIBRANTZ SPECIALTY PRODUCTS, LLC (FKA PRINCE SPECIALTY PRODUCTS LLC), New Johnsonville, TN0001686, held by Vibrantz Specialty Products LLC (formerly Prince Specialty Products LLC)
May 1, 2019: US DEPARTMENT OF ENERGY, OAK RIDGE NATIONAL LABORATORY (ORNL), Oak Ridge, TN0002941, held by U.S. Department of Energy (DOE)
May 1, 2019: WEST CAMDEN SANITARY LANDFILL/WASTE MANAGEMENT, INC. OF TENNESSEE, Camden, TN0081060, held by Waste Management, Inc. of Tennessee
May 15, 2019: HIGHWAY 99 QUARRY, Lewisburg, TN0079171, held by Volunteer Materials, LLC
June 1, 2019: KORDSA INC. (INVISTA S.À.R.L. - CHATTANOOGA), Chattanooga, TN0002844, held by Kordsa, Inc.

KAREN BROWN MINE 31 among its neighbors

EPA’s permit file holds 6 discharge permits in the South Fork Obion River Lower subwatershed (HUC 080102030606), TN0076155 among them. Its county holds 97, 1 of them major permits; TN0076155 is a minor permit.

Other permits in the South Fork Obion River Lower subwatershed (HUC 080102030606)

BRADFORD LAGOON, Bradford: TN0062022, minor permit, discharging to Obion-South Fork, permit term to October 31, 2025
GLEASON CLAY COMPANY, LLC - MINE 11, Gleason: TN0045535, minor permit, discharging to Obion-South Fork, permit term to June 30, 2030
OLD HICKORY CLAY COMPANY- SCARBROUGH 2 MINE 11, Mckenzie: TN0070700, minor permit, permit term to June 30, 2027
PATTERSON, TDEC FACILITY ID# 7-270125, Bradford: TNG830264, minor permit, discharging to Obion-South Fork, permit term to September 30, 2023
SCARBROUGH MINE 7, Gleason: TN0070033, minor permit, discharging to Obion-South Fork, permit term to May 31, 2026

Identity

Facility as filed	KAREN BROWN MINE 31
Permittee as filed	Lhoist North America of TN, LLC dba Spinks Clay Co.
NPDES ID	TN0076155
Permit status	Administratively continued (past its expiration date and still in force until reissued)
Permit type	Individual permit
Discharger class	Minor discharger
Facility type	Not a publicly owned treatment works
Program	Industrial stormwater
Issued	March 21, 2019
Expiration date	May 31, 2024
Issuing agency	TDEC - DWR
Address	Gleason, TN 38229
Receiving water	Obion-South Fork
Subwatershed	South Fork Obion River Lower (HUC 080102030606)
NAICS	212323 – Kaolin, Clay, and Ceramic and Refractory Minerals Mining
SIC	1455 – Kaolin And Ball Clay

Effluent limits and exceedances

4Pollutants on file
4Under a numeric limit
4With a violation of any kind
2With 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
Solids, total suspended	10	230	9	February 28, 2023	314% over the limit
pH	12	228	6	June 30, 2021
Flow, in conduit or thru treatment plant	8	220	0
Oil & Grease	2	1	0

Inspections, violations and enforcement

0Single-event violations

EPA’s single-event violation file, as loaded, holds no violation for NPDES TN0076155.

Inspections

Date	What EPA recorded	Agency
June 4, 2026	Evaluation	S

Formal enforcement and penalties

0 formal actions, 0 of them with a penalty assessed. Federal and state penalties are separate figures from separate authorities and are shown as each was filed, never added together.

Informal enforcement

EPA’s informal enforcement file holds no action for NPDES TN0076155.

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Figures from EPA’s ICIS-NPDES download, loaded October 14, 2026.

This public-records page covers Clean Water Act NPDES permit TN0076155 for KAREN BROWN MINE 31 in Gleason, TN, held by Lhoist North America of TN, LLC dba Spinks Clay Co., with the permit listed as administratively continued and a Minor discharger class. The page lists 4 as the discharger class, 2 pollutants under a numeric limit, and 2 pollutants with an effluent exceedance, and it gives the watershed as HUC 080102030606.