0501_INSP_20210107

FACILITY COMPLIANCE INSPECTION REPORT
Division of Waste Management
Solid Waste Section

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UNIT TYPE:
Lined
MSWLF X LCID X YW Transfer Compost SLAS COUNTY: Ashe
Closed
MSWLF HHW White
goods X Incin T&P FIRM PERMIT NO.: 0501-MSWLF-1993
CDLF Tire T&P / Collection X Tire Monofill Industrial Landfill DEMO SDTF FILE TYPE: COMPLIANCE

Date of Site Inspection: January 7, 2021 Date of Last Inspection: October 10, 2019

FACILITY NAME AND ADDRESS:
Ashe County Solid Waste Facility
739 Fred Pugh Road
Crumpler, North Carolina 28617

GPS COORDINATES (decimal degrees): Lat.: 36.52238 Long.: -81.36960

FACILITY CONTACT NAME AND PHONE NUMBER:
Name: Scott Hurley, Director – Department of Environmental Services
Telephone: [phone]
Email address: [e-mail]

FACILITY CONTACT ADDRESS:
Post Office Box 1327
West Jefferson, North Carolina 28694

PARTICIPANTS:
Mike Rutherford, Landfill Supervisor – Ashe County
Charles Gerstell, NCDEQ – Solid Waste Section

STATUS OF PERMIT:
A Permit to Operate “0501-MSWLF-1993 Municipal Solid Waste Landfill and land Clearing and Inert Debris Landfill”
was issued to Ashe County on March 31, 2015. This Permit expired on October 12, 2020. A permit renewal request
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:

North Carolina Administrative Code 13B .1626(2)(a) states: “Except as provided in Sub-Item 9(b) of this Item, the
owners or operators of all MSWLF units must cover disposed solid waste with six inches of earthen material at the end of
each operating day, or at more frequent intervals if necessary, to control disease vectors, fires, odors, blowing litter, and
scavenging.”

During the inspection, exposed waste was observed in an area measuring approximately 75-feet x 75-feet just east of the
active working face. Facility staff confirmed that waste had last been placed in this area the previous working day. Ashe
County is in violation of 15A NCAC 13B .1626(2)(a) as waste was not covered with six inches of earthen material at
the end of the previous operating day.

FACILITY COMPLIANCE INSPECTION REPORT
Division of Waste Management
Solid Waste Section

Page 2 of 5

1/7/21: View of exposed waste from previous day of 1/7/21: Additional view of exposed waste just to left
operation outlined in red. (photo by C. Gerstell) of previous photo. (photo by C. Gerstell)

To achieve compliance, within 7-days of issuance of this inspection report, all exposed waste within the landfill
must be covered with a minimum of six inches of earthen material or approved alternative cover material.

ADDITIONAL COMMENTS

1. The facility consists of a Municipal Solid Waste Landfill (MSWLF), Land Clearing and Inert Debris Landfill
(LCID), scrap tire collection area, and a white goods collection area.
2. The facility has a service area of Ashe County only.
3. A gate was located at the entrance to the facility to prevent unauthorized access.
4. The facility had proper signage.

Records Review:

5. The Permit to Operate and Operations Plan were verified. Both documents were current and available upon
request.
6. Tonnage Records for January 2020 – December 2020 were verified. The facility received 24,507.30-tons during
this period.
7. Groundwater sampling was being performed semiannually as required. Records for the 2nd semiannual sampling
event for 2019 (performed November 13 – 14, 2019) and the 1st semiannual sampling event for 2020 (performed
June 2 – 5, 2020) were verified.
8. Leachate sampling was being performed concurrently with groundwater sampling.
9. Methane monitoring was being performed quarterly as required. Records for sampling events performed on
11/11/19, 3/30/20, 6/15/20, 9/18/20, and 11/19/20 were verified. No exceedences above applicable standards were
observed.
10. Waste screenings were verified. Reports were performed with adequate frequency. Please ensure that reports
document any unacceptable waste streams observed during screenings and final disposition of those wastes.

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 3 of 5

11. A sample of Scrap Tire Certification Forms were verified. All reports reviewed appeared to be properly
completed.
12. Manager of Landfill Operations Certification:
x Scott Hurley (expires 2/7/21)
13. Certified Landfill Operation Specialist Certifications:
x Chad Brown (expires 4/16/22)
x Todd Call (expires 3/23/23)
x Josh Cox (expires 5/30/22)
x Michael Houck (expires 10/21/23)
x Jamie R. Osborne (expires 3/19/22)
x Michael Rutherford (expires 5/30/22)

Operations Inspection of the MSWLF Unit:

14. Waste was being placed into the southwest portion of Phase 4 at the time of inspection.
15. The working face was small and compact.
16. No unacceptable waste streams were observed.
17. Exposed waste from the previous day was observed just east of the active working face. Please see “Observed
Violations” for comments and conditions for compliance.
18. During the inspection, leachate was observed flowing within a diversion swale at the toe of the slope below the
current lift of the landfill. The leachate flowed west past the fuel tank and appeared to absorb into the landfill cell
prior to leaving the footprint of the liner system. No leachate was observed flowing beyond the footprint of the
liner system.
x A portion of the leachate appeared to originate from a slope failure within the south facing slope of the
current landfill lift. Work to repair the landfill slope commenced prior to the end of the inspection.
x Please continue to investigate the leachate flow and make any necessary repairs to prevent
additional flow of leachate.
x All slope failures within the current lift must be repaired. Slopes should be maintained at an angle
that allows for stabilization with a groundcover sufficient to restrain erosion.
19. During the inspection, multiple areas of erosion were observed on the western portion of Phase 4 and along the
exterior, north facing slopes of Phase 4 adjacent to the access road leading the LCID Landfill Unit. No exposed
waste was observed. Please ensure all areas of erosion are repaired to prevent a violation of 15A NCAC 13B
.1626(7)(b) which requires that adequate measures (structures or devices), be utilized to prevent on-site erosion.
20. Overall, windblown waste was well controlled at the time of inspection. However, a small amount of windblown
waste was observed east of the working face but had been contained within the landfill area. Please ensure that
this material is picked up at the end of the working day and returned to the working face for proper disposal. A
new litter collection fence had been installed along the woodline north of the MSWLF Unit.
21. All access roads were of all-weather construction and well maintained.

Operations Inspection of the LCID Unit:

22. The working face appeared to be less than one acre in size at the time of inspection.
23. No unacceptable waste streams were observed.
24. This area was well managed.

Operations Inspection of the White Goods Collection Area:

25. White goods are collected adjacent to the recycling building. Facility staff remove CFCs and mark them with
“GO”. Once CFCs are removed, the appliances are placed on the metal pile or loaded into the trailer designated
for metal collection.
26. During the inspection, all appliances were maintained in an upright condition to maintain the integrity of the
device.
FACILITY COMPLIANCE INSPECTION REPORT
Division of Waste Management
Solid Waste Section

Page 4 of 5

27. During the inspection a facility staff member was removing waste food from an appliance that was received at the
facility and was placing the waste into a garbage bag for proper disposal. Thank you for your efforts to prevent
food wastes from being spilled onto the ground and ensuring proper disposal of the waste.

Operations Inspection of the Tire Collection Area:

28. All tires were stored in a covered trailer located on the opposite side of the primary access road, across from the
recycling building.
29. This area was well managed.

Supporting Comments:

30. A convenience area for the collection of aluminum cans, glass, and wooden pallets is provided adjacent to the
primary access road just northwest of the scale house.
x A small amount of crushed, aluminum cans was observed on the ground around the roll-off containers
designated for collection. Please ensure that all aluminum cans are collected and returned to their
designated containers.
31. The leachate pond was observed during the inspection.
x Two aerators were in operation at the time of inspection.
x No concerns were observed with the visible portions of the liner.
32. Electronics were being collected into a 30-yard steel roll-off container near the scalehouse. Please ensure that
damage to electronics are minimized when loaded into the container.
33. Lead acid batteries are collected onto a wooden pallet located adjacent to the above ground storage tank designated
for the collection of used oil.
x The wooden pallet was severely damaged at the time of inspection. It is recommended that the pallet be
replaced or repaired to prevent batteries from contacting the ground.
34. During the inspection, dark staining was observed on the ground at the base of the storage tank designated for the
collection of used oil. This condition has been referred to Carin Kromm, Regional Supervisor, Underground
Storage Tank Section at the Winston-Salem Regional Office.

1/7/21: View of staining at base of above ground tank 1/7/21: Additional view of staining on ground (photo
designated for storage of used oil. (photo by C. Gerstell) by C. Gerstell)

FACILITY COMPLIANCE INSPECTION REPORT
Division of Waste Management
Solid Waste Section

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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: 1/12/21 X Email Hand delivery US Mail Certified No. [ _]

Copies: Deb Aja, Western District Supervisor - Solid Waste Section
Carin Kromm, Regional Supervisor – UST 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: 2021.01.12 08:31:54 -05'00'