Clean Water Act discharge permit · NPDES TX0104515
BIG SPRING REFINERY, Big Spring, TX: NPDES TX0104515 discharge permit, effluent exceedances, inspections, penalties
- Administratively continuedPermit status
- MajorDischarger class
- 30Pollutants under a numeric limit
- 14Pollutants with an effluent exceedance
BIG SPRING REFINERY, held by ALON USA LP, holds NPDES permit TX0104515, which discharges to I-20 Lake Beals Ck;Oilfield Waterflood Op. EPA’s file records it issued August 31, 2016 and expiring December 1, 2020. 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 | BIG SPRING REFINERY |
|---|---|
| Permittee as filed | ALON USA LP |
| NPDES ID | TX0104515 |
| Permit status | Administratively continued (past its expiration date and still in force until reissued) |
| Permit type | Individual permit |
| Discharger class | Major discharger |
| Facility type | Not a publicly owned treatment works |
| Issued | August 31, 2016 |
| Expiration date | December 1, 2020 |
| Address | Big Spring, TX 79720 |
| Receiving water | I-20 LAKE BEALS CK;OILFIELD WATERFLOOD OP |
| Subwatershed | Sandy Hollow-Beals Creek (HUC 120800070103) |
| Other EPA IDs (FRS) | RCRA handler TXD008013468; ICIS-AIR source TX0000004822700001 |
Cited to the EPA ICIS-NPDES permit file (ECHO download); cross-program IDs from EPA’s FRS facility-registry crosswalk.
Effluent limits and exceedances
- 35Pollutants on file
- 30Under a numeric limit
- 30With 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 |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Sulfide, total [as S] | 7 | 49 | 25 | March 31, 2025 | 1,143% over the limit |
| pH | 10 | 69 | 21 | April 30, 2020 | |
| Whole effluent toxicity | 6 | 52 | 17 | March 31, 2015 | 99,999% over the limit |
| Solids, total suspended | 7 | 40 | 16 | July 31, 2026 | 1,031% over the limit |
| BOD, 5-day, 20 deg. C | 5 | 36 | 16 | March 31, 2025 | 242% over the limit |
| Oxygen demand, chem. [high level] [COD] | 7 | 34 | 10 | July 31, 2026 | 588% over the limit |
| Phenolics, total recoverable | 7 | 33 | 9 | April 30, 2020 | 4,196% over the limit |
| Oil & Grease | 7 | 33 | 7 | July 31, 2026 | 460% over the limit |
| Phenolic compounds, total | 0 | 7 | 7 | July 31, 2026 | 3,613% over the limit |
| Cyanide, total [as CN] | 3 | 12 | 6 | July 31, 2015 | 203% over the limit |
| Nitrogen, ammonia total [as N] | 7 | 29 | 5 | September 30, 2024 | 313% over the limit |
| E. coli | 4 | 11 | 5 | February 29, 2020 | 507% over the limit |
| BOD, carbonaceous [5 day, 20 C] | 2 | 7 | 3 | July 31, 2015 | 127% over the limit |
| Flow, in conduit or thru treatment plant | 10 | 68 | 1 | April 30, 2011 | 4% over the limit |
| Chromium, hexavalent [as Cr] | 7 | 24 | 0 | ||
| Chromium, total [as Cr] | 7 | 24 | 0 | ||
| LF Pass/Fail Static Renewal 48Hr Acute Daphnia magna | 0 | 14 | 0 | ||
| NOEC Lethal Static Renewal 48HR Acute Daphnia magna | 0 | 14 | 0 | ||
| Selenium, total [as Se] | 1 | 12 | 0 | ||
| LF Pass/Fail Static Renewal 48Hr Acute Pimephales promelas | 2 | 10 | 0 | ||
| NOAEC Lethal Static Renewal 48Hr acute Pimephales promelas | 2 | 10 | 0 | ||
| Arsenic, total [as As] | 0 | 10 | 0 | ||
| LOAEC Lethal Survival Static Renewal 48Hr Acute Pimephales promelas | 2 | 6 | 0 | ||
| LC50 Pass/Fail Static 24Hr Acute Pimephales promelas | 1 | 6 | 0 | ||
| Chloride [as Cl] | 2 | 5 | 0 | ||
| Sulfate, total [as SO4] | 2 | 5 | 0 | ||
| Solids, total dissolved | 2 | 5 | 0 | ||
| Daphnia magna survival 24 Hr Acute WET | 0 | 4 | 0 | ||
| Oxygen, dissolved [DO] | 1 | 3 | 0 | ||
| LC50 Pass/Fail Static 24Hr Acute D. Pulex | 1 | 2 | 0 | ||
| Whole effluent toxicity - retest #1 | 3 | 0 | 0 | ||
| Whole effluent toxicity - retest #2 | 3 | 0 | 0 | ||
| Low Flow Pass/Fail Static Renewal 48Hr Acute Daphnia pulex | 2 | 0 | 0 | ||
| NOAEC Lethal Statis Renewal 48 Hr Acute Daphnia pulex | 2 | 0 | 0 | ||
| LOAEC Lethal Static Renewal 48HR Acute Daphnia pulex | 2 | 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
- 1Single-event violations
| Date | What EPA recorded | Agency |
|---|---|---|
| May 9, 2019 | Permit Violations - Violation Specified in Comment | ST6 |
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.
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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 TX0104515 there.
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Figures from EPA’s ICIS-NPDES download, loaded September 15, 2026.