1808T-TRANSFER_INSP_20191120

FACILITY COMPLIANCE INSPECTION REPORT
Division of Waste Management
Solid Waste Section

Page 1 of 3

UNIT TYPE:
Lined
MSWLF LCID YW Transfer X Compost SLAS COUNTY: Catawba
Closed
MSWLF HHW White
goods Incin T&P FIRM PERMIT NO.: 1808T-TRANSFER-
CDLF Tire T&P / Collection Tire Monofill Industrial Landfill DEMO SDTF FILE TYPE: COMPLIANCE

Date of Site Inspection: November 20, 2019 Date of Last Inspection: November 28, 2019

FACILITY NAME AND ADDRESS:
City of Hickory Transfer Station
1050 1st Avenue Southwest
Hickory, North Carolina 28601

GPS COORDINATES: Lat.: 35.73126 Long.: 81.35588

FACILITY CONTACT NAME AND PHONE NUMBER:
Name: Andrew Ballentine, Solid Waste Manager
Telephone: [phone]
Email address: [e-mail]

FACILITY CONTACT ADDRESS:
Post Office Box 398
Hickory, North Carolina 28603

PARTICIPANTS:
Louis Berry, Solid Waste Supervisor – City of Hickory
Charles Gerstell, NCDEQ – Solid Waste Section

STATUS OF PERMIT:
A Permit to Operate 1808T-TRANSFER-, City of Hickory Transfer Station was issued to the City of Hickory on
February 22, 2016. The permit shall expire on February 19, 2020.

PURPOSE OF SITE VISIT:
Comprehensive Inspection

STATUS OF PAST NOTED VIOLATIONS:
N/A

OBSERVED VIOLATIONS:
None

The item(s) listed above were observed by Section staff and require action on behalf of the facility in order to come into or maintain compliance
with the Statutes, Rules, and/or other regulatory requirements applicable to this facility. Be advised that pursuant to N.C.G.S. 130A-22, an
administrative penalty of up to $15,000 per day may be assessed for each violation of the Solid Waste Laws, Regulations, Conditions of a Permit,
or Order under Article 9 of Chapter 130A of the N.C. General Statutes. Further, the facility and/or all responsible parties may also be subject to
enforcement actions including penalties, injunction from operation of a solid waste management facility or a solid waste collection service and any
such further relief as may be necessary to achieve compliance with the North Carolina Solid Waste Management Act and Rules.
FACILITY COMPLIANCE INSPECTION REPORT
Division of Waste Management
Solid Waste Section

Page 2 of 3

ADDITIONAL COMMENTS

1. The facility consists of a Municipal Solid Waste Transfer Facility having a service area of the City of Hickory
only.
2. The Permit and Operations Plan were verified. Both documents were current and available upon request.
3. Tonnage Records for July 2018 through June 2019 were submitted by electronic correspondence on December 2,
2019. The facility received 18483.18-tons of waste during this time.
4. Waste Screening Reports were observed for November 2018 to present. Screenings appeared to have been
performed with adequate frequency and provided good documentation of observed unacceptable waste streams and
final disposition of those wastes.
5. Transfer Station Operations Specialist Certifications:
x Ronald Lewis Berry, II (expires 2/22/20)
o Mr. Berry recently attended a class to renew his certification but had not yet received his
certificate.
x Leopold A. Bodden (expires 9/15/22)
x Randall Cline (expires 4/3/21)
x Justin Gross (expires 4/3/21)
x Michael A. Pisani (expires 9/15/22)
6. Gates were provided at the entrance to the facility to prevent unauthorized access.
7. Waste is offloaded directly into hoppers by city vehicles. As waste is offloaded, transfer station attendants view
the waste being deposited into the hoppers through one of two windows in the operator room.
8. The tipping floor of the facility was well managed and free of residues. The floor is washed down with hoses.
9. Leachate drains within the floor of the facility were free of obstructions and were operational.
10. No unacceptable waste streams were observed.
11. Windblown waste was well managed at the time of inspection.
12. Bait boxes are provided around the exterior of the facility to assist in control of vectors.
13. Exterior drains within the paved and concrete areas on the south side of the facility deposit directly into the
sanitary sewer system.
x As noted on the previous inspection report, a portion of the grate over the exterior drain closest to the
stairway leading up the hill adjacent to the transfer station was dislodged allowing a portion of the drain to
be filled with leaves. Mr. Bodden explained that leaves are removed from the drain on a regular basis. No
standing liquid was observed next to the drain indicating the device was not functioning. Mr. Berry
explained that the City of Hickory was currently taking bids to repair the drains and make additional
repairs to the leachate system. As requested on the previous inspection report, please ensure that the grate
over the drain is repaired as soon as possible to ensure proper function of the device.
14. Per the Operations Plan, after each truck has unloaded and finished its route for the day, the trucks move from the
tipping floor to the area where the compaction trailers are located to remove any debris from their clean-outs. This
process is to be completed in an area that drains to the sanitary sewer system where it can be properly processed.
Any debris left on the ground is to be cleaned up immediately and placed in the dumpster and or rollout containers
provided in the designated area. The dumpster and rollout containers are to be emptied and deposited into the
transfer station at the end of the working day.
x A small amount of waste was observed within the dumpster located at the truck cleanout area indicating
that it was being emptied within the transfer station at the end of the working day as detailed and required
by the approved Operations Plan.
x During the previous inspection the dumpster located at the truck cleanout area at the time was fitted with a
drain within the front of the device. It was required that an alternate, leak-resistant dumpster be used in the
truck cleanout area to prevent leachate from being lost when transferring the dumpster to the transfer
station.
o Inspection of the facility on November 20, 2019 found that the previously observed dumpster had
been replaced with a new dumpster with no drain. Thank you for your attention to this matter.

FACILITY COMPLIANCE INSPECTION REPORT
Division of Waste Management
Solid Waste Section

Page 3 of 3

15. During the previous inspection, a dumpster was observed in the paved lot west of the transfer station. Staff stated
that the dumpster used to dispose of bulky waste that gets caught behind the blades of the waste vehicles. It was
noted that all truck cleanout activities must take place in the designated area where the compaction trailers are
located as detailed in the approved operations plan for the facility.
x Inspection of the facility on November 20, 2019 found that the dumpster observed during the previous
inspection had been removed. Thank you for your attention to this matter.

Please contact me if you have any questions or concerns regarding this inspection report.

________________________________________ Phone: [phone]
Charles T. Gerstell
Environmental Senior Specialist
Regional Representative

Sent on: 12/5/19 X Email Hand delivery US Mail Certified No. [ _]

Copies: Deb Aja, Western District Supervisor - Solid Waste Section
Digitally signed by Charles T. Gerstell
DN: cn=Charles T. Gerstell, o=Divsion of Waste
Management, ou=Solid Waste Section,
email=[e-mail], c=US
Date: 2019.12.05 16:48:41 -05'00'