9503TTRANSFER1996_INSP_20200320

FACILITY COMPLIANCE INSPECTION REPORT
Division of Waste Management
Solid Waste Section

Page 1 of 4

UNIT TYPE:
Lined
MSWLF LCID YW Transfer X Compost SLAS COUNTY: Watauga
Closed
MSWLF HHW White
goods X Incin T&P FIRM PERMIT NO.: 95-03
CDLF Tire T&P / Collection X Tire Monofill Industrial Landfill DEMO SDTF FILE TYPE: COMPLIANCE

Date of Site Inspection: March 11, 2020 & March 20, 2020 Date of Last Inspection: February 1, 2019

FACILITY NAME AND ADDRESS:
Watauga County Transfer Station
336 Landfill Road
Boone, North Carolina 28607

Watauga County Permanent HHW
336 Landfill Road
Boone, North Carolina 28607

GPS COORDINATES: Lat.: 36.22032 Long.: 81.63165

FACILITY CONTACT NAME AND PHONE NUMBER:
Name: Rex Buck, Operations Services Manager
Telephone: [phone]
Email address: [e-mail]

FACILITY CONTACT ADDRESS:
842 West King Street, Suite 1
Boone, North Carolina 28607

PARTICIPANTS:
Rex Buck, Operations Services Manager – Watauga County
Donna Watson, Administrative Assistant II – Watauga County
Charles Gerstell, NCDEQ – Solid Waste Section

STATUS OF PERMIT:
A Permit to Operate 9503T-TRANSFER-1996 Watauga County Transfer Station and 9503-HHW-2015 Watauga
County Permanent HHW was issued to Watauga County on May 29, 2016. This permit shall expire on August 26,
2020. A permit application has been submitted to the Solid Waste Section and is currently under review.

PURPOSE OF SITE VISIT:
Comprehensive Inspection

STATUS OF PAST NOTED VIOLATIONS:
N/A

OBSERVED VIOLATIONS:

15A North Carolina Administrative Code 13B .0402(7): “Appropriate method shall be provided to confine material
subject to be blown by the wind within the area. At the conclusion of each day of operation, all windblown material
resulting from the operation shall be collected and returned to the area by the owner or operator.”

FACILITY COMPLIANCE INSPECTION REPORT
Division of Waste Management
Solid Waste Section

Page 2 of 4

During an inspection on March 11, 2020, severe windblown waste was observed within the drainage swale just east of the
transfer station building. Mr. Buck explained that this this waste was discovered after vegetation in the drainage swale
had been cut back in late December or early January. Watauga County was found in violation of 15A NCAC 13B
.0402(7) in that windblown material had not been collected and returned to the facility at the conclusion of each day of
operation.

3/11/20: View of waste in drainage swale east of 3/11/20: View of waste in drainage swale east of
transfer facility building. (photo by C. Gerstell) transfer facility building looking north. (photo by
(photo by C. Gerstell)
During the inspection, it was requested that all windblown waste be collected at and properly disposed at the transfer station. Facility
staff began removing windblown waste prior to the conclusion of the inspection.

Mr. Buck submitted multiple photos via electronic correspondence on March 11, 2020. The photos appeared to show that waste
within the area of concern had been removed by facility staff.

A follow-up inspection was performed on March 20, 2020 to evaluate efforts to address the area of concern. Inspection confirmed all
waste within the subject area had been removed for disposal and windblown waste was well controlled. Therefore, this violation is
considered resolved. Thank you for your attention in this matter.

3/20/20: View of swale on west side of transfer
facility with waste removed. (photo by C. Gerstell)

FACILITY COMPLIANCE INSPECTION REPORT
Division of Waste Management
Solid Waste Section

Page 3 of 4

ADDITIONAL COMMENTS

1. The facility is permitted to receive waste generated within Ashe, Avery, Caldwell, Watauga, and Wilkes Counties.
2. A gate was provided at the entrance to the facility to prevent unauthorized access.
3. The Permit to Operate and Operations Manual were verified. Both documents were current and available upon
request.
4. Tonnage reports for July 2019 through February 2020 were verified. The facility received 34,531-tons of waste
during this time.
5. Certified Transfer Station Operations Specialist Certification:
x Jim Fink (expires 7/19/21)
x Scott Gregg (expires 3/12/22)
x Jimmy Johnson (expires 11/16/22)
x Dale Miller (expires 5/19/21)
x David Miller (expires 3/3/22)
x Terry Scott (expires 11/16/22)
x Douglas Allen Stanbery (expires 7/19/21)
x Ryan A. Woodring (expires 7/19/21)
6. Waste Screening Reports were verified for March 2019 to present. Initially, two screenings were performed each
day. However, starting in December of 2019 screenings were performed at a frequency of one each day. It is
recommended that the frequency of screenings be increased back to at least two each day to ensure that screenings
are performed on 1-percent of the waste stream.

Operations Inspection of the Transfer Station (9503T-TRANSFER-1996):

7. Two separate entrances are provided for waste acceptance. The public enter on the south side of the building while
commercial vehicles and larger public vehicles enter on the east side of the building.
8. No unacceptable waste streams were observed.
9. As noted on the previous inspection report, the interior walls of the facility are in need of pressure washing.
10. Mr. Buck explained that all doors leading to the transfer station floor and transfer trailer loading area are closed at
the end of each working day.
11. During the inspection, a large amount of waste was observed under a portion of the grates over the leachate
collection area within the transfer trailer loading bay. Please ensure that all waste is removed from under the
subject grates. All waste within the trailer loading bay must be removed and returned properly disposed at the end
of each day of operation. Effort should also be made to ensure that no waste is left on top of the I-beams along the
exterior wall of the loading bay.
x The walls of the loading bay were also in need of pressure washing.

Operations Inspection of the White Goods Area:

12. White goods containing chlorofluorocarbon refrigerants (CFCs) are collected at the northwest corner of the
bailing/recycling building.
13. No white goods were observed at the designated collection area as all appliances had been moved to the metal
collection area after CFCs had been collected earlier in the day
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 4 of 4

Operations Inspection of the Tire Collection Area:

14. Tires are collected into a covered trailer at the loading dock on the west side of the bailing/recycling building. All
tires were being maintained within the trailer at the time of inspection.

Supporting Comments:

15. A convenience area for public disposal of wastes and recyclables is provided on the north side of the access road
across from the scale house.
16. Electronics are collected within the bailing/recycling building and then placed on wooden pallets and shrink
wrapped for placement into a covered trailer.
17. Florescent bulbs and batteries are collected at the bailing/recycling facility. Bulbs are placed in cardboard
containers prior to shipment to the County’s designated electronics vendor.
18. Windblown plastics and paper associated with recycling activities was observed along the wooded area located just
west of the bailing/recycling building. This condition has been observed during previous inspections and can lead
to nuisance conditions. Installation of a device such as fencing along the wooded area was discussed to catch
windblown material and allow for more efficient collection of the material.

Operations Inspection of the HHW Facility (9503-HHW-2015):

19. The facility consists of a steel building with three separate compartments for the collection of HHW.
20. The facility was not in operation at the time of inspection. The facility operates on designated collection days
starting in April and ending in November.
21. All compartments were closed at the time of inspection. Doors were unlocked but are locked at the end of the
working day according to facility staff.
22. Secondary containment was provided for all collection compartments. The secondary containment has no outlet.
23. A fire suppression system was provided to control fire at the facility. The system was last serviced on February
2020.

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: 3/27/20 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: 2020.03.27 09:32:56 -04'00'