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INFORMATION SHEET CALIFORNIA AMMONIA COMPANY CALAMCO - STOCKTON TERMINAL SAN JOAQUIN COUNTY The California Ammonia Company owns and operates an ammonia storage and distribution facility on property owned by the Port of Stockton. Channel water from the Port's Wine Slip is pumped through one of two heat exchangers. The heat exchangers remove heat from the water to warm the facility's product, ammonia. Ammonia is warmed by the river water from -28°F to its shipment temperature of +32°F. The water is then used for cooling condensers and/or aqua converters where some of the heat is returned to the water. The net change in water temperature is a 2° to 5° F cooling. This water is then returned to the Wine Slip, which is a portion of the Deep Water Channel in the Port of Stockton, tributary to the San Joaquin River. Monthly average flow of water discharged back into the Wine Slip is 5 8 million gallons per day (mgd), and maximum daily flow is 11.7 mgd. Under normal operating procedures, water used in this system should not come into direct contact with ammonia. Past discharges of ammonia have been due to failures m the heat exchanger system. These ammonia discharges have caused fish kills in the channel. A new exchanger has recently been installed as well as an increased number of monitoring points for pH, temperature, and flow. The system is arranged such that if pH levels are above 8.5 (indicating a possible ammonia leak) at one of the pH controller stations downstream of the exchanger, the ammonia supply into the system and water discharge back into the Wine Slip will be terminated immediately by automatic shutoff valves. On rare occasions, the supply water from the river has an elevated pH of 8.5 or above. The high pH in the river water is possibly attributable to diurnal algal respiration. Provision D.1 requires a study be conducted to determine the source of the high influent river pH. Through 28 February 1997, the Discharger may set the pH alarm trip 0.2 units higher than the influent pH whenever influent levels are above 8.5 to account for minor fluctuations in receiving water pH and equipment calibration drifts. Commencing 1 March 1997, the Discharger may continue to set the trip alarm 0.2 units higher than the influent pH only if the Executive Officer has approved a study conducted by the Discharger which demonstrates that the high pH conditions in the receiving water are not caused by this discharge. No allowance for a pH increase will be granted if it is determined that the high pH conditions in the receiving waters are the result of the Discharger's actties. This permit will also cover storm water discharges from the facility. Storm water discharges were previously regulated by a General Industrial Activities Storm Water Permit. That permit will no longer be required as the new permit encompasses both storm water discharges and the non- contact cooled water discharge. KA/G:2 August 1996