1808TTRANSFER_INSP_20220429

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: April 29, 2022 Date of Last Inspection: April 29, 2022

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

GPS COORDINATES (decimal degrees): 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:
Andrew Ballentine, Solid Waste Manager – City of Hickory
Lewis Berry, Solid Waste Supervisor – City of Hickory
Charles Gerstell, NCDEQ – Solid Waste Section

STATUS OF PERMIT:
A Permit Approval to Operate 1808T-TRANSFER-, City of Hickory Transfer Station was issued to the City of Hickory
on November 4, 2021. The permit approval is for the life of site, as defined in North Carolina General Statute 130A-
294(a2).

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. All waste received at the facility is transferred to the Blackburn Resource Recovery Facility (Permit #18-03) for
final disposal.
3. The Permit and Operations Plan were verified. Both documents were current and available upon request.
4. Waste screening reports were observed for January 2022 to present. Screenings were performed with adequate
frequency and provided good documentation of observed unacceptable waste streams and final disposition of those
wastes.
x New screening frequency requirements effective January 2021 were discussed with facility staff during the
inspection.
5. Transfer Station Operations Specialist Certifications:
x Lewis Berry (expires 2/22/23)
x Leopold Bodden (expires 9/15/22)
x Randall Cline (expires 4/23/24)
x Justin Gross (expires 4/23/24)
x Michael Pisani (expires 9/15/22)
6. Gates were provided at the entrances to the facility to prevent unauthorized access.
7. All access roads surrounding the facility are paved and well maintained.
8. Waste is offloaded directly into waste 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.
9. The tipping floor was well managed. The floor was free of wastes and residues. Staff wash down the floor with
hoses at multiple times throughout the working day.
10. Leachate drains within the floor of the facility were free of obstructions and appeared to be functioning properly.
11. No unacceptable waste streams were observed.
12. The walls of the facility were free of residue buildup.
x Administrative Rules regarding pressure washing requirements effective January 2021 were discussed with
facility staff.
x These requirements are also detailed under General Facility Operation Condition #23(b) of the approved
Permit to Operate.
13. Windblown waste was well managed.
14. Four fire extinguishers are mounted to the walls around the tipping floor in case of emergencies. All showed a full
charge.
15. One bait box was provided along the edge of the tipping floor and additional bait boxes were provided along the
exterior of the facility to assist in control of vectors.
16. Exterior drains within the paved and concrete areas on the south side of the facility deposit directly into the
sanitary sewer system.
x A small amount of vegetative debris was observed within the longer leachate drain closest to the building.
Please ensure the interior of the drain is kept free of obstructions to ensure the device functions properly.
x A buildup of residues was observed on the smaller leachate grates covering the leachate drains located
under the waste trailers. Please ensure these grates are cleaned of residues to ensure leachate can properly
enter the drains.
17. 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 The aforementioned area was well managed at the time of inspection. The surfaces surrounding the
leachate drains at the trailer loading area were free of debris or residues.

FACILITY COMPLIANCE INSPECTION REPORT
Division of Waste Management
Solid Waste Section

Page 3 of 3

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: 5/4/22 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: 2022.05.04 11:14:17 -04'00'