Notice of Public Comment Period - Draft Air Quality Permit 7407-A1 - Georgetown University

PUBLIC NOTICE

Draft Air Quality Permit 7407-A1, Georgetown University, Construction and operation of eleven 1.792 MMBTU/hr No. 2 fuel oil-fired water heaters at the East Campus portion of Georgetown University, 1200 35th Street NW, Washington DC.

Notice is hereby given that, pursuant to 20 DCMR §210, the Air Quality Division (AQD) of the Department of Energy and Environment (DOEE), located at 1200 First Street NE, 5th Floor, Washington DC, proposes to issue Permit No. 7407-A1 to Georgetown University, to install and operate eleven (11) 1.792 MMBTU per hour No. 2 fuel oil-fired water heaters, located at the East Campus section of the university near 1200 35th Street NW, Washington DC 20057. A permit for this project was issued on June 10, 2025. This permitting action proposes a modification of the total fuel oil usage by the water heaters, in aggregate, increasing the allowable fuel usage from 229,574 gallons per 12-consecutive-month rolling period to 364,942 gallons per 12 consecutive-month rolling period. The contact person for the applicant is Charles Weidner, Environmental Compliance Specialist, at (202) 687-7409 or [email protected].

The change in estimated maximum emissions from this equipment, in aggregate, reflecting the change in requested fuel usage limit, are as follows:

† PM Total includes both filterable and condensable particulate matter fractions.

‡ When calculating potential to emit Total HAPs, the applicant did not take into account the fuel usage limitation, thus overestimating the true PTE. This estimation technique also results in no difference in the estimate with the increase in allowable fuel usage.

The proposed emission limits are as follows:

1. The total hourly emissions of criteria pollutants from each of the eleven heaters shall not be greater than those specified in the following table [20 DCMR 201]:

† PM Total includes both filterable and condensable particulate matter fractions.

1. Visible emissions shall not be emitted from the equipment covered by this permit except that discharges shall be permitted for two (2) minutes during any startup, cleaning, adjustment of combustion or operational controls, or regeneration of emissions control equipment; provided, that such discharges shall not exceed twenty-seven percent (27%) opacity (unaveraged). [20 DCMR 606.1 and 606.2(a)(2)]
   
2. An emission into the atmosphere of odorous or other air pollutants from any source in any quantity and of any characteristic, and duration which is, or is likely to be injurious to the public health or welfare, or which interferes with the reasonable enjoyment of life or property is prohibited. [20 DCMR 903.1]

Violation of the requirements of this condition that occur as a result of unavoidable malfunction, despite the conscientious employment of control practices, shall be an affirmative defense for which the owner or operator shall bear the burden of proof. A malfunction shall not be considered unavoidable if the owner or operator could have taken, but did not take, appropriate steps to eliminate the malfunction within a reasonable time, as determined by the Department. [20 DCMR 903.13(b)]

1. Total suspended particulate matter (TSP) emissions from the heaters shall not exceed 0.13 pound per million BTU. [20 DCMR 600.1]

The permit application and supporting documentation, along with the draft permit are available for public inspection at AQD and copies may be made available between the hours of 9:00 A.M. and 5:00 P.M. Monday through Friday. Interested parties wishing to view these documents should provide their names, addresses, telephone numbers and affiliation, if any, to Stephen S. Ours at (202) 498-8143 or [email protected]. Copies of the draft permit and related technical support memorandum are also available in the attachments section below.

Interested persons may submit written comments or may request a hearing on this subject within 30 days of publication of this notice. The written comments must also include the person's name, telephone number, affiliation, if any, mailing address and a statement outlining the air quality issues in dispute and any facts underscoring those air quality issues. All relevant comments will be considered before taking final action on the permit application.

Comments on the proposed permit and any request for a public hearing should be addressed to:

Stephen S. Ours Chief
Permitting Branch - Air Quality Division

Department of Energy and Environment
1200 First Street NE, 5th Floor
Washington DC 20002

[email protected]

No comments or hearing requests submitted after February 17, 2026 will be accepted.

For more information, please contact Stephen S. Ours at (202) 498-8143.