Clean Water Act discharge permit · NPDES VA0002178
MERCK SHARP AND DOHME LLC - ELKTON PLANT, Elkton, VA: NPDES VA0002178 discharge permit, effluent exceedances, inspections, penalties
- Administratively continuedPermit status
- MajorDischarger class
- 45Pollutants under a numeric limit
- 4Pollutants with an effluent exceedance
MERCK SHARP AND DOHME LLC - ELKTON PLANT, held by Merck Sharp & Dohme Corp - Elkton Plant, holds NPDES permit VA0002178, which discharges to South Fork Shenandoah River/Elk Run/Boone Run. EPA’s file records it issued December 29, 2016 and expiring December 31, 2021. 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 | MERCK SHARP AND DOHME LLC - ELKTON PLANT |
|---|---|
| Permittee as filed | Merck Sharp & Dohme Corp - Elkton Plant |
| NPDES ID | VA0002178 |
| 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 | December 29, 2016 |
| Expiration date | December 31, 2021 |
| Issuing agency | STATE |
| Address | Elkton, VA 22827 |
| Receiving water | South Fork Shenandoah River/Elk Run/Boone Run |
| Subwatershed | Hawksbill Creek-South Fork Shenandoah River (HUC 020700050803) |
| NAICS | 325411 – Medicinal and Botanical Manufacturing |
| SIC | 2833 – Medicinals And Botanicals |
| Other EPA IDs (FRS) | RCRA handler VAD001705110; ICIS-AIR source VA0000005116500001 |
Cited to the EPA ICIS-NPDES permit file (ECHO download) and EPA’s NAICS/SIC and component files, the same download; cross-program IDs from EPA’s FRS facility-registry crosswalk.
Effluent limits and exceedances
- 45Pollutants on file
- 45Under a numeric limit
- 4With a violation of any kind
- 4With 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 |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Chlorine, total residual | 3 | 4 | 4 | July 31, 2025 | 75% over the limit |
| Flow, in conduit or thru treatment plant | 6 | 2 | 2 | July 31, 2012 | 12% over the limit |
| Chloroform | 4 | 2 | 2 | September 30, 2017 | 180% over the limit |
| pH | 2 | 1 | 1 | January 31, 2015 | |
| BOD, 5-day, 20 deg. C | 8 | 0 | 0 | ||
| Oxygen demand, chem. [low level] [COD] | 8 | 0 | 0 | ||
| Solids, total suspended | 8 | 0 | 0 | ||
| Nitrogen, ammonia total [as N] | 8 | 0 | 0 | ||
| Nitrogen, Kjeldahl, total [as N] | 4 | 0 | 0 | ||
| Cyanide, total [as CN] | 4 | 0 | 0 | ||
| Methyl cellosolve | 4 | 0 | 0 | ||
| Toluene | 4 | 0 | 0 | ||
| Benzene | 4 | 0 | 0 | ||
| Chlorobenzene | 4 | 0 | 0 | ||
| Methylene chloride | 4 | 0 | 0 | ||
| 1,2-Dichloroethane, total weight | 4 | 0 | 0 | ||
| 1,2-Dichlorobenzene | 4 | 0 | 0 | ||
| Phenol | 4 | 0 | 0 | ||
| Isopropyl acetate | 4 | 0 | 0 | ||
| Methyl formate | 4 | 0 | 0 | ||
| Isobutyraldehyde | 4 | 0 | 0 | ||
| n-Amyl acetate | 4 | 0 | 0 | ||
| Amyl alcohol | 4 | 0 | 0 | ||
| Acetonitrile | 4 | 0 | 0 | ||
| Ethanol | 4 | 0 | 0 | ||
| Isopropanol | 4 | 0 | 0 | ||
| Diethylamine | 4 | 0 | 0 | ||
| Dimethyl sulfoxide, total | 4 | 0 | 0 | ||
| Triethylamine | 4 | 0 | 0 | ||
| Isopropyl ether | 4 | 0 | 0 | ||
| n-Butyl acetate | 4 | 0 | 0 | ||
| Methanol, total | 4 | 0 | 0 | ||
| 4-Methyl-2-pentanone | 4 | 0 | 0 | ||
| Heptane | 4 | 0 | 0 | ||
| Xylene [mix of m+o+p] | 4 | 0 | 0 | ||
| Acetone | 4 | 0 | 0 | ||
| Ethyl acetate | 4 | 0 | 0 | ||
| Hexane | 4 | 0 | 0 | ||
| Tetrahydrofuran | 4 | 0 | 0 | ||
| Temperature, water deg. centigrade | 1 | 0 | 0 | ||
| Oxygen, dissolved [DO] | 1 | 0 | 0 | ||
| Temperature, length of excursion | 1 | 0 | 0 | ||
| E. coli | 1 | 0 | 0 | ||
| Length of longest pH excursion | 1 | 0 | 0 | ||
| pH range excursions, monthly total accum | 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 |
|---|---|---|
| June 18, 2018 | Effluent Violations - Unapproved Bypass | 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 VA0002178 there.
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Figures from EPA’s ICIS-NPDES download, loaded October 14, 2026.