Clean Water Act discharge permit · NPDES TX0124575

NICHOLS-HARRINGTON ELECTRIC STATION, Amarillo, TX: NPDES TX0124575 discharge permit, effluent exceedances, inspections, penalties

Administratively continuedPermit status
MajorDischarger class
57Pollutants under a numeric limit
8Pollutants with an effluent exceedance

NICHOLS-HARRINGTON ELECTRIC STATION, held by SOUTHWESTERN PUBLIC SERVICE CO, holds NPDES permit TX0124575, which discharges to Indian Creek;East Amarillo Creek. EPA’s file records it issued November 29, 2017 and expiring October 1, 2020. The status and dates are as EPA’s permit file stood when Velarion loaded it (October 14, 2026); EPA’s free Detailed Facility Report on ECHO carries the permit’s current standing.

Identity

Facility as filed	NICHOLS-HARRINGTON ELECTRIC STATION
Permittee as filed	SOUTHWESTERN PUBLIC SERVICE CO
NPDES ID	TX0124575
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	November 29, 2017
Expiration date	October 1, 2020
Address	Amarillo, TX 79108
Receiving water	INDIAN CREEK;EAST AMARILLO CREEK
Subwatershed	Stalanaker Lake-Indian Creek (HUC 110901050401)
SIC	4911 – Electric Services

Cited to the EPA ICIS-NPDES permit file (ECHO download) and EPA’s NAICS/SIC and component files, the same download.

Effluent limits and exceedances

57Pollutants on file
57Under a numeric limit
25With a violation of any kind
8With 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
Iron, total [as Fe]	18	23	20	July 31, 2015	19,800% over the limit
pH	43	42	17	August 31, 2016
Solids, total suspended	19	14	10	July 31, 2015	1,583% over the limit
Aluminum, total [as Al]	10	7	7	July 31, 2015	237% over the limit
Chloride [as Cl]	34	11	6	August 31, 2013	9% over the limit
Oil & Grease	31	10	6	July 31, 2015	239% over the limit
Solids, total dissolved	25	13	3	August 31, 2022	23% over the limit
Chlorine, free available	18	7	3	July 31, 2015	292% over the limit
Flow, in conduit or thru treatment plant	32	27	0
Nitrogen, total [as N]	8	11	0
Phosphorus, total [as P]	8	11	0
Sodium adsorption ratio	8	11	0
Potassium, total [as K]	3	8	0
Calcium, total [as Ca]	14	6	0
Magnesium, total [as Mg]	14	6	0
Sodium, total [as Na]	14	6	0
Conductivity	8	6	0
Nitrogen, nitrate total [as N]	3	6	0
Sulphur, total elemental	2	6	0
Chromium, total [as Cr]	34	5	0
Zinc, total [as Zn]	23	5	0
Sulfate, total [as SO4]	16	5	0
Copper, total [as Cu]	32	4	0
Oxygen demand, chem. [high level] [COD]	11	4	0
BOD, 5-day, 20 deg. C	6	2	0
Whole effluent toxicity - retest #1	30	0	0
Whole effluent toxicity - retest #2	30	0	0
Low Flow Pass/Fail Static Renewal 48Hr Acute Daphnia pulex	20	0	0
LF Pass/Fail Static Renewal 48Hr Acute Pimephales promelas	20	0	0
NOAEC Lethal Statis Renewal 48 Hr Acute Daphnia pulex	20	0	0
NOAEC Lethal Static Renewal 48Hr acute Pimephales promelas	20	0	0
LOAEC Lethal Static Renewal 48HR Acute Daphnia pulex	20	0	0
LOAEC Lethal Survival Static Renewal 48Hr Acute Pimephales promelas	20	0	0
Nitrogen, ammonia total [as N]	14	0	0
Nitrogen, Kjeldahl, total [as N]	14	0	0
Alkalinity, phenolphthaline method	11	0	0
Alkalinity, bicarbonate [as CaCO3]	11	0	0
Nitrate nitrogen, dry weight	11	0	0
Hardness, total [as CaCO3]	11	0	0
Potassium, dissolved [as K]	11	0	0
Arsenic, total [as As]	11	0	0
Barium, total [as Ba]	11	0	0
Cadmium, total [as Cd]	11	0	0
Lead, total [as Pb]	11	0	0
Silver, total [as Ag]	11	0	0
Selenium, total [as Se]	11	0	0
Petrol hydrocarbons, total recoverable	11	0	0
Specific Conductance	11	0	0
Mercury, total [as Hg]	11	0	0
LC50 Pass/Fail Static 24Hr Acute D. Pulex	10	0	0
LC50 Pass/Fail Static 24Hr Acute Pimephales promelas	10	0	0
Calcium, dissolved [as Ca]	3	0	0
Magnesium, dissolved [as Mg]	3	0	0
Sodium, dissolved [as Na]	3	0	0
E. coli	3	0	0
pH, in soil	3	0	0
Sulfur, total	1	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
November 14, 2017	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 TX0124575 there.

Nearby on the register

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

This public-records page covers the Clean Water Act discharge permit NPDES TX0124575 for NICHOLS-HARRINGTON ELECTRIC STATION in Amarillo, TX, held by SOUTHWESTERN PUBLIC SERVICE CO and discharging to INDIAN CREEK and EAST AMARILLO CREEK within the Stalanaker Lake-Indian Creek subwatershed (HUC 110901050401). The listed figures are a discharger class of 57, 8 pollutants under a numeric limit, and 8 pollutants with an effluent exceedance, with the permit shown as administratively continued.