77001YWN_INSP_20220520

FACILITY COMPLIANCE INSPECTION REPORT
Division of Waste Management
Solid Waste Section

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UNIT TYPE:
Lined MSWLF LCID YW X Transfer Compost SLAS COUNTY: RICHMOND
Closed MSWLF HHW White goods Incin T&P FIRM PERMIT NO.: YWN-77-001
CDLF Tire T&P / Collection Tire Monofill Industrial Landfill DEMO SDTF FILE TYPE: COMPLIANCE

Date of Site Inspection: May 20, 2022 Date of Last Inspection: March 30, 2022
FACILITY NAME AND ADDRESS: Richmond County Yard Waste Notification 191 Walter Kelly Dr, Rockingham, NC 28379 GPS COORDINATES: Lat: 35.014656 ° Long: -79.806254 °
FACILITY CONTACT NAME AND PHONE NUMBER:
Jerry Austin, Jr., Solid Waste/Recycling Director 910-997-8338, [e-mail] Bryan K Leggett, Assistant Public Works Director 910-997-8338, [e-mail]
FACILITY CONTACT ADDRESS: Richmond County YWN P.O. Box 368 Rockingham, North Carolina 28379

PARTICIPANTS: Bryan Leggett, Richmond Co. David Powell, NCDEQ - SWS STATUS OF PERMIT: YWN Renewal submitted 5/11/2021
RENEWAL required by June 1st of each Year.
PURPOSE OF SITE VISIT: Comprehensive Inspection – Follow up – Fire at Yard Waste Notification on 3/26/2022
STATUS OF PAST NOTED VIOLATIONS: NA OBSERVED VIOLATIONS: NA

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

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ADDITIONAL COMMENTS
1. The purpose of this inspection was to follow up on the yard waste area after a fire was reported on 3/26/2022 and
it is still on fire. Transfer Station Permit (7703T) has a yard waste section in its permit while that area is mostly addressed through this yard waste notification. Yard waste area is still smoldering and smoking, although contained. The clean pallet waste and the mulched pallet waste was not burned previously but the fire has jumped over and burned it as well. Some new YW and pallets are being collected but separated further from what’s smoldering. According to Mr. Leggett, winds added to the intensity and made it spread to other piles easily through sparks. Attempts to put out the fire with water trucks, rainfall, digging into and breaking it up with equipment only seem to add to it continuing. A windrow has been managed to be made of a large amount separating the hot material from the unburned.

FACILITY COMPLIANCE INSPECTION REPORT
Division of Waste Management
Solid Waste Section

Page 3 of 4

FACILITY COMPLIANCE INSPECTION REPORT
Division of Waste Management
Solid Waste Section

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2. It will take time for this waste to become cool and safe enough to work. When conditions allow, please remove to appropriate disposal sites. If the conditions change or worsen, please notify Mr. Powell/Section within 24 hours. The County may need to stop accepting pallet and yard waste until this problem can be resolved and normal operation can begin again. Operations should not be conducted outside the approved 2-acre area. Be looking for acceptable avenues for yard waste/ash disposal, in which those were discussed onsite during inspection. Be sure and document where the waste goes and
that it is an approved site for that waste type. The older waste in the buffers and underneath the smoldering piles still needs addressing as well. Use this time to address all issues and fix the site back well so there will be less issues in the future, such as building an appropriate pad for operating. 3. In future, better placement and sizing of the windrow should be emphasized to minimalize one windrow from catching the others on fire. It is unknown if that would have helped in this fire but be sure and remember lessons learned during this event to try and prevent it from reoccurring in the future. Transfer Station Permit Attachment 3, Part (7), 21 - The permittee must store or stockpile the received waste or processed/ground material (such as mulch) in the following manner: a. Each windrow has the maximum height of 30 feet and the width of 50 feet at any time. b. Each windrow shall be maintained at least 25-foot clear distance or perimeter from drainage ditches and swales, around the processing area, and other stockpiles of raw wastes and ground material to allow for inspection, monitoring temperature, or firefighting. c. Each windrow shall be maintained at least 50-foot clear distance from property boundaries. 4. Don’t forget to submit renewal by first of June each year. Last was 2021 so don’t forget this year. 5. Consult your engineering firm/consultant for ideas and check with the Sections Permit Engineer, Ming Chao, for approval before altering any process/plans. Ming Chaos’ contact number is (919) 707 – 8251 and
[e-mail]. 6. Corrective measures are necessary as result of this inspection. Failure to meet the conditions for compliance may result in Compliance Actions. A follow up inspection will be conducted after June 8, 2022, or shortly afterwards. This should align with last inspection deadline of 60 days from inspection sent date of April 8, 2022. Given the nature of the situation and the corrective actions, it may take longer time, but 60 days should be a sufficient time frame for inspecting on progress and clean up started. If additional time is needed, please communicate with Mr. Powell and discuss before end of the deadline timeframe. Any changes to yard waste area, please contact Mr. Powell/Section within 24 hours. Please contact me if you have any questions or concerns regarding this inspection report.
________________________________________ Phone: [phone] _
David Powell Environmental Senior Specialist Regional Representative
Sent on: 5/27/2022 X Email Hand delivery US Mail Certified No. [ _]

Copies: Drew Hammonds, Eastern District Supervisor - Solid Waste Section