Wilkes-Barre, PA – The Pennsylvania Department of Environmental Protection (DEP) will host a public hearing to take testimony from the public regarding a proposed warehouse building to be located in Kidder Township, Carbon County. The hearing will take place on Thursday, August 29, 2024, from 6-9 PM at Jim Thorpe Area High School located at 100 Olympian Way, Jim Thorpe, PA.
Blue Ridge Real Estate, Inc of Blakeslee has applied for a National Pollutant and Discharge Elimination System (NPDES) Permit for the proposed Blue Ridge Real Estate, Lot #2 project in Kidder Township, Carbon County. Representatives from the Department's Waterways & Wetlands Program, the Carbon County Conservation District and Blue Ridge Real Estate Company will be in attendance.
Blue Ridge Real Estate has applied to construct and operate a 420,000-square-foot building along Route 903 in Kidder Township. The Department received the NPDES permit application on November 7, 2023, and it was deemed administratively complete on January 30, 2024. Written public comments on the application were received during the public comment period which ran until September 13, 2024.
The NPDES permit application would allow for a discharge from construction activities into an unknown tributary to Black Creek, which is considered a high-quality, fresh-water, migratory fishes waterway.
The Department requests that individuals wishing to testify at the hearing submit a written notice of intent to Colleen Connolly, Community Relations Coordinator at: coconnolly@pa.gov. The Department will accept requests up to the day of the hearing. The Department requests that individuals limit their testimony to 5 minutes so that all individuals have the opportunity to testify. All comments, whether delivered orally during the hearing or submitted in writing will carry equal weight and consideration with DEP. Individuals attending the hearing will have the opportunity to testify if they so desire; however, individuals who preregister to testify will be given priority on the agenda.
Persons with a disability who wish to testify and require an auxiliary aid, service or other accommodation should contact Colleen Connolly at: coconnolly@pa.gov or the Pennsylvania Hamilton Relay Service at (800) 654-5984 (TDD) to discuss how the Department can meet their needs.
The NPDES permit application documentation and plans are available for review at the Carbon County Conservation District Office, 5664 Interchange Road, Lehighton, PA 18235 at (610) 377-4894 and/or the DEP Northeast Regional Office, 2 Public Square, Wilkes-Barre, PA 18711 at (570) 826-2511. Or on the department’s webpage: Blue Ridge Real Estate, Lot #2 Project (pa.gov)
For further information, contact Colleen Connolly, Community Relations Coordinator of the Department's Northeast Regional Office at (570) 826-2035 or at coconnolly@pa.gov
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