MARYLAND DEPARTMENT OF THE ENVIRONMENT WATER AND SCIENCE ADMINISTRATION NOTICE OF TENTATIVE DETERMINATION Washington County Application for State Discharge Permit 24DP0788, NPDES Permit MD0021776: City of Hagerstown, Department of Utilities applied for renewal of the permit to discharge an average of 8.00 million gallons per day (MGD) of treated wastewater from the Hagerstown WWTP located at 1 Clean Water Circle, Hagerstown, MD 21740 to the Antietam Creek, designated as Use IV-P water, which is protected for holding or supporting adult trout for put-and-take fishing, and as a public water supply. The Maryland Department of the Environment (MDE) is proposing to reissue the discharge permit with the following effluent limitations: BOD5, 12 mg/l maximum monthly average and 18 mg/l maximum weekly average (Summer, 5/1-10/31) and 30 mg/l maximum monthly average and 45 mg/l maximum weekly average (Winter, 11/1-4/30); Total Suspended Solids, 30 mg/l maximum monthly average and 45 mg/l maximum weekly average; BOD5 and TSS Percent Removed, 85 % minimum monthly average; Total Ammonia Nitrogen as N (Interim Limits), 3.6 mg/l monthly average (Summer, 5/1-10/31) and 6.2 mg/l monthly average (Winter, 11/1-4/30); Total Ammonia Nitrogen as N (Final Limits), 1.6 mg/l monthly average (Summer, 5/1-10/31) and 3.2 mg/l monthly average (Winter, 11/1-4/30); Total Phosphorus (TP) as P, 7309 pounds/year maximum annual load; Total Nitrogen (TN) as N, 97458 pounds/year maximum annual load; E. Coli, 126 MPN/100 ml maximum monthly geometric mean value; Total Residual Chlorine, 0.027 mg/l instantaneous maximum; Dissolved Oxygen, 8.0 mg/l at any time (Summer, 5/1-10/31) and 5.0 mg/l at any time (Winter, 11/1-4/30); and pH maintained between 6.5 and 8.5. The final Total ammonia nitrogen as N limits will take effect 12 months after the permit’s effective date. The interim limits will be effective upon permit issuance and remain in place until the final limits take effect. The effluent limits for TSS, TP, and E. Coli are in conformance with each pollutant’s approved water quality TMDLs for the Antietam Creek watershed (02-14-05-02). The annual maximum loading rate effluent limits for TSS, TP, and TN are in conformance with the Chesapeake Bay TMDL for Nitrogen, Phosphorus, and Sediment, accepted by EPA on 12/29/2010. The effluent limits are established to ensure compliance with State water quality standards. The minimum monitoring and reporting requirements for effluent and raw wastewater influent are mandated to ensure compliance with the permit requirements. Per MD Environmental Article § 1–602(a)(2), an EJ score was calculated for this facility. The EJ Score is 82. This score has been calculated considering a combination of the following factors: Pollution Burden Exposure Percentile, Pollution Burden Environmental Effects Percentile, and Sensitive Population Percentile. For more information on how the score was calculated, launch the MDEnviroScreen tool from this website - https://mdewwp.page.link/EJ. Copies of the application, draft permit, and Summary Report & Fact Sheet (SRFS) are available on the Department’s Wastewater Permits Interactive Search Portal at https://mdewwp.page.link/WWPPortal. Search for “24DP0788” under “State Num” and click on the “More Info” button for the permit entry to generate a list of available documents for download. If a written request is received by December 30, 2025, a public hearing on the tentative determination for this application can be scheduled. The request should be sent to the Maryland Department of the Environment, Water and Science Administration, 1800 Washington Blvd., Baltimore, Maryland 21230-1708, Attn.: Yen-Der Cheng, Chief, Municipal Permits Division and must include the name, address and telephone number (home and work) of the person making the request, the name of any other party whom the person making the request may represent, and the name of the facility and permit number. Failure to request a hearing by December 30, 2025 will constitute a waiver of the right to a public hearing on the tentative determination for this permit. Written comments concerning the tentative determination will be considered in the preparation of a final determination if submitted to the Department, to the attention of Yen-Der Cheng at the above address, on or before 1/9/2026. Any hearing-impaired person who requests a hearing may request an interpreter at the hearing by contacting Mr. Cheng at (410) 537-3363 or 1-800-633-6101, or by written request to the above address at least ten working days prior to the scheduled hearing date. Information supporting the tentative determination, including the draft permit and fact sheet, may be reviewed by contacting Mr. Cheng at the above telephone number to make an appointment or by written request to Mr. Cheng at the above address. Copies of documents may be obtained at a cost of $0.36 per page.   11889969 12/10 12/17/25