9503T_INSP_20220622

FACILITY COMPLIANCE INSPECTION REPORT
Division of Waste Management
Solid Waste Section

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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 22, 2022 Date of Last Inspection: June 30, 2021

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:
Same as above

PARTICIPANTS:
Rex Buck, Operations Services Manager – Watauga County
Charles Gerstell, NCDEQ – Solid Waste Section
Robert Pike, 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. The Permit for the Transfer Station is for
the life-of-site of the facility. The permit for the Permanent HHW expires on August 26, 2025.

PURPOSE OF SITE VISIT:
Comprehensive Inspection

STATUS OF PAST NOTED VIOLATIONS:
N/A

OBSERVED VIOLATIONS:
15A North Carolina Administrative Code 13B .0203(d) states: “By receiving solid waste at a permitted facility, the
permittee shall be considered by the Department to have accepted the conditions of the permit and shall comply with the
conditions of the permit.”

General Facility Condition #19(a) states: “The leachate control system, such as floor drains, leachate collection
devices, sanitary sewer connections and leachate storage tanks, must be operational during facility operations. “

FACILITY COMPLIANCE INSPECTION REPORT
Division of Waste Management
Solid Waste Section

Page 2 of 5

During the inspection, facility staff stated the leachate system within the trailer loading bay was not operational. Instead
of leachate being transported to the sanitary sewer system, it is currently pumped out by a septage management firm when
needed.

Watauga County is in violation of 15A NCAC 13B .0203(d) and General Facility Condition #19(a) in that the leachate
control system within the trailer loading bay is not operational as required.

To achieve compliance, within 60-days of issuance of this inspection report, the leachate collection system must be
repaired to original design. Any required changes to the original design must be submitted to the Solid Waste
Section for review. Proposed changes must be submitted electronically to:

Allen Gaither, Permitting Engineer
NCDEQ – Solid Waste Section
[e-mail]

ADDITIONAL COMMENTS

1. The facility is permitted to receive municipal solid waste generated within areas consistent with the service area of
the receiving landfill.
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 for January through May 2022 were verified. The facility received approximately 166-tons of
waste per day during this time period.
5. Certified Transfer Station Operations Specialist Certifications:
x Jim Fink (expires 7/19/24)
x Scott Gregg (expires 3/12/25)
x Dale Miller (expires 5/19/24)
x David Miller (expires 3/3/22)
x Terry Scott (expires 11/16/22)
x Ryan Woodring (expires 7/19/24)
6. Waste screenings for January 2022 to present were verified. Screenings appeared to have been performed with
adequate frequency and provided good detail of observed unacceptable waste streams and final disposition of those
wastes.
x As noted on the previous inspection report, 15A NCAC 13B .0405(a)(8)(A) requires site personnel to
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 the tonnage of each screened load be
recorded to more easily determine the proper number of screenings are being performed.

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.
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

9. The interior walls of the transfer station were free of a heavy buildup of residues.
10. A small buildup of residues was observed on the northern portion of the grates covering the leachate trench drain.
The remaining grates were free of residues. Please ensure all residues are removed to ensure continued 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. During the previous inspection, accumulated waste was observed under a portion of 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. No waste was observed in this area during the inspection on June 22nd. Thank you for
your attention in this matter.
13. Windblown waste was well controlled
14. During the inspection, a transfer trailer was observed leaking onto the asphalt just outside of the trailer loading bay.
Majority of leachate was leaking from the rear door of the trailer. Facility staff tightened the door on the trailer,
but leachate continued to spill from the trailer indicating the seals of the rear door were in need of repair. Facility
staff immediately placed quick drying compound on the asphalt, and the trailer was pulled back into the trailer
loading bay to properly catch the leachate.
x Please ensure the contractor for waste hauling is notified about the damaged trailer to ensure it is removed
from service for proper repairs.
x Please ensure all compounds used to absorb the spilled leachate is properly disposed of at the transfer
station building.
x In the future, please ensure all trailers are inspected for leaks prior to pulling the trailer from the loading
bay. Should leaks be discovered, the trailer must remain within the leachate collection system until all
leaks have stopped.

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. Only one refrigerator containing CFCs was on site at the time of inspection. This device was maintained in an
upright condition.
17. This area was well managed.

Operations Inspection of the Tire Collection Area:

18. Tires are collected into multiple covered trailers at the loading dock on the west side of the bailing/recycling
building. Majority of tires were maintained within a trailer at the time of inspection.
19. Multiple tires had been delivered to the site prior to the inspection and were neatly stacked under the roof of the
building in preparation of being loaded into the trailer.
20. This area was well managed.

Supporting Comments:

21. 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.
22. 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.
23. 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.

FACILITY COMPLIANCE INSPECTION REPORT
Division of Waste Management
Solid Waste Section

Page 4 of 5

24. During the inspection, Mr. Buck stated the facility was preparing to construct a new trailer storage area
with leachate collection adjacent to the existing transfer station building. Subsequent information including
a site plan was sent to the Solid Waste Section via e-mail on June 22, 2022. However, prior to construction,
a revised site plan to include a complete set of construction drawings for the trailer storage area must be
submitted to the Solid Waste Section for review. The information must be submitted electronically to:

Allen Gaither, Permitting Engineer
NCDEQ – Solid Waste Section
[e-mail]

25. Since the previous inspection, facility staff have installed new signage throughout the facility to direct customers to
the various waste handling areas. The signs are numbered, and color coordinated to make travel around the facility
more efficient.

6/22/22: Sign located at entrance to 6/22/22: Sign located at the entrance to the LCID Landfill.
facility. (photo by C. Gerstell) (photo by C. Gerstell)

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

26. The facility consists of a steel building with three separate compartments for collection of HHW.
27. 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.
28. All compartments were closed and locked upon arrival.
29. Secondary containment was provided for collection compartments and was free of residues. The secondary
containment had no outlet.
30. A fire suppression system was provided to control fires at the facility. The system was last serviced February of
2022.
31. The facility had proper signage.
32. During the inspection high grass was observed on back side of the building. Please ensure all grass is kept mowed
down do allow inspection around the entire structure.
33. During the inspection, the collection table for paint was located in the grassed area on the west side of the building.
Please ensure this device is maintained under roof or within the containment building.

FACILITY COMPLIANCE INSPECTION REPORT
Division of Waste Management
Solid Waste Section

Page 5 of 5

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: 7/1/22 X Email Hand delivery US Mail Certified No. [ _]

Copies: Deb Aja, Western District Supervisor - Solid Waste Section
Allen Gaither, Permitting Engineer – 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: 2022.07.01 12:17:19 -04'00'