9503T_INSP_20210630

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: Watauga
Closed
MSWLF HHW X 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: June 30, 2021 Date of Last Inspection: March 20, 2020

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 (decimal degrees): 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
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 June 21, 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 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 verified for July 1, 2020 to present. The facility received 44,265.78-tons of waste during that
time.
5. Certified Transfer Station Operations Specialist Certifications:
x Jim Fink (expires 7/19/21)
x Scott Gregg (expires 3/12/22)
x David Miller (expires 3/3/22)
x Terry Scott (expires 11/16/22)
x Ryan Woodring (expires 7/19/21)
6. Waste screenings for July 2020 to present were verified. Screenings were performed with good frequency and
provided good detail of observed unacceptable waste streams and final disposition of those wastes.
x Please note, the Administrative Rules for Transfer Stations were readopted on January 1, 2021. Under
15A NCAC 13B .0405(a)(8)(A), site personnel shall screen incoming loads weekly at a rate of no less than
five percent of the average daily tonnage reported in the site’s annual report for the previous year. It is
recommended that staff evaluate the number of screenings performed each day to ensure the conditions of
the new rule are being met.

Operations Inspection of the Transfer Station (9503-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. The interior walls of the transfer station had been pressure washed since the previous inspection and were free of a
heavy buildup of residues.
10. A heavy buildup of residues was observed on the grates covering the leachate trench drain closest to the office
area. The remaining grates were free of residues. Please ensure that all residues are removed from the trench drain
to ensure proper function of the device.
11. The interior walls within the trailer loading bay were in need of pressure washing at the time of inspection.
x Please note, 15A NCAC 13B .0405(a)(11) requires the tipping floor, push walls, and truck loading bays be
cleaned with a pressure washer no less than once per month. Cleaning and maintenance records shall
be maintained and made available to the Division upon request.
12. Accumulated waste was observed under a portion the grates covering the leachate collection area within the trailer
loading bay. The area of concern was adjacent to the exterior wall near the exit of the loading bay. This condition
was noted on the previous inspection report. All waste must be removed, and steps taken to prevent waste from
collecting within the leachate collection area to ensure proper function.
13. A small portion of the exterior wall of the trailer loading bay was observed to have been separated at ground level.
This area must be repaired to prevent waste from falling though the damaged area onto the ground outside of the
facility.
14. Windblown waste was well controlled around the facility.

Operations Inspection of the White Goods Area:

15. White goods containing chlorofluorocarbon refrigerants (CFCs) are collected at the northwest corner of the
bailing/recycling building.
16. All white goods except for one freezer were stored in an upright condition at the time of inspection. Mr. Buck
immediately requested facility staff to place the freezer in an upright manner.
17. This area was well managed.
FACILITY COMPLIANCE INSPECTION REPORT
Division of Waste Management
Solid Waste Section

Page 3 of 3

Operations Inspection of the Tire Collection Area:

18. Tires are collected into two covered trailers 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:

19. 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.
20. Electronics are collected within the bailing/recycling building and then placed on wooden pallets and shrink
wrapped or placed within gaylord boxes for shipment to the electronics vendor.
21. 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.
22. During the previous inspection, windblown plastics and paper associated with recycling activities were observed
along the wooded area west of the bailing/recycling building. This same area was free of windblown waste during
the June 30, 2021 inspection. Thank you for your efforts to improve this condition. Mr. Buck stated the facility is
still considering a barrier such as a catch fence to prevent windblown waste from collecting in the subject area.

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

23. The facility consists of a steel building with three separate compartments for the collection of HHW.
24. The facility operates on designated collection days starting in April and ending in October. During collection
events, wastes are collected and immediately transferred from the site via the facility’s HHW collection vendor.
No waste is maintained within the compartments.
25. All compartments were closed and locked upon arrival.
26. Secondary containment was provided for all collection compartments and was free of residues. The secondary
containment had no outlet.
27. A fire suppression system was provided to control fire at the facility. The system was last serviced February 2021.
28. The facility 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: 7/13/21 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: 2021.07.13 12:31:58 -04'00'