0501_INSP_20210210

FACILITY COMPLIANCE INSPECTION REPORT
Division of Waste Management
Solid Waste Section

Page 1 of 3

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: February 10, 2021 Date of Last Inspection: January 7, 2021

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:
Partial Inspection

STATUS OF PAST NOTED 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 an inspection on January 7, 2021, 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 the area the previous
working day. Ashe County was found 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.

Inspection of the facility on February 10, 2021 found good earthen cover on all inactive portions of the landfill.
Therefore, this violation is considered resolved. Thank you for your attention to this matter.

FACILITY COMPLIANCE INSPECTION REPORT
Division of Waste Management
Solid Waste Section

Page 2 of 3

OBSERVED VIOLATIONS:
No new violations observed.

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.
5. This was a partial inspection to evaluate Ashe County’s efforts to comply with the violation documented on the
previous inspection report issued on January 12, 2021. Refer to “Status of Past Noted Violations” for comments.

Operations Inspection of the MSWLF Unit:

6. Waste was being placed into Phase 4 at the time of inspection.
7. The working face was small and compact.
8. No unacceptable waste streams were observed.
9. During the previous 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. 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 The previous inspection report requested Ashe County continue to investigate the leachate flow and make
any necessary repairs to prevent additional flow of leachate. It was also noted that all slope failures within
the current landfill lift be repaired.
x Inspection of the facility on February 10, 2021 found no leachate flowing within the diversion swale at the
base of the aforementioned slope. It appeared that repair work to the slope had been carried out, but some
slight sliding was still observed. A clear inspection of the slope was difficult due to snow present on the
surface of the slope.
x Please continue to repair all slope failures. As noted on the previous inspection report, slopes should
be maintained at an angle that allows for stabilization with a groundcover sufficient to restrain
erosion.
10. 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.
x During the February 10, 2021 inspection, Mr. Rutherford explained that repairs to the slope had not yet
commenced due to the severe wet soil conditions associated to recent heavy rains and snow storms. Please
ensure all areas of erosion are repaired as soon as possible.

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 3

Operations Inspection of the LCID Unit:

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

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: 2/15/21 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: 2021.02.15 13:11:00 -05'00'