Loading...
HomeMy WebLinkAbout0603_INSP_20231027FACILITY COMPLIANCE INSPECTION REPORT Division of Waste Management Solid Waste Section Page 1 of 9 UNIT TYPE: Lined MSWLF LCID YW Transfer X Compost SLAS COUNTY: AVERY Closed MSWLF HHW White goods X Incin T&P X FIRM PERMIT NO.: 0603-TRANSFER- CDLF Tire T&P / Collection X Tire Monofill Industrial Landfill DEMO SDTF FILE TYPE: COMPLIANCE Date of Site Inspection: 10/27/2023 Date of Last Inspection: 5/18/2022 FACILITY NAME AND ADDRESS: Avery County Solid Waste Management Facility 2175 Brushy Creek Road Spruce Pine, NC 28777 GPS COORDINATES: Lat: 35.959661° Long: -81.972021° FACILITY CONTACT NAME AND PHONE NUMBER: Eric Foster, Solid Waste Director – Avery County Telephone: 828-260-9205 Email Address: avery.sw@averycountync.gov FACILITY CONTACT ADDRESS: Avery County Solid Waste Department P.O. Box 640 Newland, NC 28657 PARTICIPANTS: Eric Foster, Solid Waste Director – Avery County Deb Aja, Western District Supervisor- NCDEQ Summer Justice, NCDEQ STATUS OF PERMIT: Permit to Operate Avery County Transfer Station issued July 3, 2023 PURPOSE OF SITE VISIT: Comprehensive Inspection STATUS OF PAST NOTED VIOLATIONS: N/A OBSERVED VIOLATIONS: A. 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 condition of the permit.” Permit to Operate 0603-TRANSFER-, Attachment 1, Part 1, General Permit Condition Number 6 states, “Construction and operation of this solid waste management facility must be in accordance with the Solid Waste Management Rules, 15A NCAC 13B, Article 9 of Chapter 130A of the North Carolina General Statutes (NCGS 130A-290, et seq.), the conditions contained in this permit; and the approved plan. Should the approved plan and the rules conflict, the Solid Waste Management Rules shall take precedence unless specifically addressed by permit condition. Failure to comply may result in compliance action or permit revocation.” FACILITY COMPLIANCE INSPECTION REPORT Division of Waste Management Solid Waste Section Page 2 of 9 • The approved Operational Plan, FID 1802608, is included in the List of Documents for the Approved Plan. Section 2.2.3 “Recycling Recovery Areas” states in part: “Only the following wastes may be received at the facility recycling area or as separated in the landfill or transfer area(s):”, “Brick and block (undamaged and un-painted)”. • Section 3.6 “Other Storage Areas” of the approved Operational Plan states in part, “A undamaged and unpainted brick and block area is located adjacent to and southwest of the existing transfer station (Figure 2) for utilization for site access roads and the active face area of the landfill”. During the inspection, painted brick and block, tile with adhesives and tile backer board, lumber, plastics, and other miscellaneous waste were observed in the Brick/Block Storage Area. These wastes were also used as fill in adjacent areas. Therefore, Avery County is in violation of 15A NCAC 13B .0203(d) and the approved operational plan. View of unacceptable wastes in Brick/Block Storage Area FACILITY COMPLIANCE INSPECTION REPORT Division of Waste Management Solid Waste Section Page 3 of 9 View of unacceptable wastes used as fill in adjacent areas. To achieve compliance, unacceptable wastes observed in the Brick/Block Storage Area must be properly disposed of, including where it has been used as fill on site. To remain in compliance, ensure that the site accepts for recycling only those wastes the facility is permitted to receive in the Brick/Block Storage Area. A follow up inspection will be conducted to confirm compliance with this Rule. ADDITIONAL COMMENTS 1. All photographs were taken by Summer Justice on October 27, 2023. 2. The site was secured with a gate, fencing, and natural barriers to prevent unauthorized access. 3. Durable, weather resistant signs that stated the name of the operator, operating hours, emergency contact, permit number, and that hazardous or liquid waste cannot be accepted were posted at the facility entrance. 4. Access roads at the facility were of all-weather construction and appeared to be maintained. 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 4 of 9 Records Review 5. Certified Transfer Station Operations Specialists: • Greg Taylor (Expires December 9, 2024) • Robert Woody (Expires November 17, 2024) 6. The current Permit to Operate and approved operational plan were available for review. 7. According to tonnage records from the 2022-2023 Facility Annual Report, the facility received 20,220 tons of waste, for an average of 67 tons per operating day. 8. Waste screening reports were available for review for the period of June 24, 2022-October 26, 2023. The waste screening records appeared to be well maintained. Continue to maintain documentation of unacceptable waste and include the final disposition of the waste. 9. Cleaning records were reviewed for the period of May 5, 2022- October 13, 2023. According to cleaning records, the tipping floor and push walls were most recently pressure washed on October 13, 2023 10. Facility staff stated that the full annual safety training requirement does not occur. As required by 15A NCAC 13B .0405(a)(7), documentation of 8-hour annual training including review of operations plan and permit shall be placed in the operating record. 11. Leachate pump and haul records will be reviewed in the next inspection. Operations Inspection of the Transfer Station 0603-TRANSFER- 1. Waste is deposited on the concrete tipping floor by residential and commercial customers. The facility utilizes a front-end loader with a flexible lip on the bucket to push waste and any liquids on the tipping floor into the loading bay. Waste is transported via Avery County transfer trailers to the Waste Management Eco Safe landfill in Blountville, TN. 2. The tipping floor is not equipped with floor drains, however, the loading bay contains two floor drains that feed into an underground leachate collection tank. During the inspection, the two drains in the loading bay appeared to be functional. The facility contracts with A-1 Appalachian Pumping, Inc. for leachate collection. The leachate is then brought to Jimmy Smith Wastewater Treatment Plant. 3. The tipping floor and push walls appeared to be well maintained. Large areas behind the push walls appeared to be clean, but each corner contained some accumulated dust and, in the northern corner, a bucket of oil with no lid. Facility staff stated that the corner areas behind the push walls would be touched up with the pressure washer. Ensure that these areas are being cleaned with the pressure washer, and that the bucket of oil is covered or removed to prevent spills. 4. Facility fire extinguishers were serviced in May 2023. Water supply is provided to the tipping floor in the form of a water hose. 5. As discussed during the inspection, the northwest and southwest facing exterior sheet metal walls of the transfer station are extensively damaged. Ensure that the necessary repairs are made to the transfer station building to prevent waste from leaving the tipping floor/loading bay and becoming windblown. 6. Vector control measures in the form of rodent traps were in place at the time of the inspection. 7. Windblown litter was observed in various locations throughout the site, including on either side of the truck loading bay, the northeast side of the T&P pile, and in the stormwater ditch surrounding the site. Ensure that windblown litter is picked up and disposed of by the end of each operating day. Operations Inspection of Miscellaneous Collection Areas 8. Scrap tires are collected in a semi-trailer located east of the transfer station entrance until removal for processing by Patriot Recycling Tire Processing Company. All tires were stored within the trailer. 9. The mobile home deconstruction area was not active during the inspection. 10. White goods and scrap metal area accepted at the facility in a roll-off container located adjacent to the tire trailer. Inspection of this area was precluded by the height of the container. Scrap metal and refrigerants are FACILITY COMPLIANCE INSPECTION REPORT Division of Waste Management Solid Waste Section Page 5 of 9 removed by Houston Scrap. Please note that best white good management practices include storing them upright to allow for proper removal of refrigerants. 11. Recyclables are stored in a concrete bin south of the transfer station and collected as necessary. 12. During the inspection, painted brick and block, tile with adhesives and tile backer board, lumber, plastics, and other miscellaneous waste were observed in the Brick/Block Storage Area. These wastes were also used as fill in adjacent areas. See Observed Violations section of this report. Ensure that unacceptable wastes observed in the Brick/Block Storage Area are properly disposed of, including where it has been used as fill on site. Ensure that the site accepts for recycling only those wastes the facility is permitted to receive in the Brick/Block Storage Area. Operations Inspection of the Treatment and Processing Area 13. Clean Wood Waste Processing Area 2, located north of the transfer station building, is currently the only one of the two T&P areas being used at the facility. The facility utilizes a contracted vendor for grinding the material as needed. Some windblown debris, engineered/treated wood (lattice), and glass was observed on the northeast and northwest sides of the pile. Since treated and clean wood waste are no longer segregated, ensure that treated wood remains separate, or, if ground with the clean wood waste, the mulch product is not distributed to the public and is disposed of. Please contact me if you have any questions or concerns regarding this inspection report. _____________________________________ Phone: 828-296-4705 _ Summer Justice Environmental Senior Specialist Regional Representative Sent on: November 8, 2023 To: Eric Foster via: X Email Hand delivery US Mail Certified No. [ _] Copies: Deb Aja, Western District Supervisor - Solid Waste Section FACILITY COMPLIANCE INSPECTION REPORT Division of Waste Management Solid Waste Section Page 6 of 9 Well maintained area behind push wall. Northern corner of push wall with open top container of oil and accumulated dust. FACILITY COMPLIANCE INSPECTION REPORT Division of Waste Management Solid Waste Section Page 7 of 9 Damaged northwest facing push wall surrounded by debris. Windblown debris around truck loading bay. FACILITY COMPLIANCE INSPECTION REPORT Division of Waste Management Solid Waste Section Page 8 of 9 Damaged southwest facing push wall. Damaged southwest facing push wall. FACILITY COMPLIANCE INSPECTION REPORT Division of Waste Management Solid Waste Section Page 9 of 9 Windblown debris south of tire trailer. Windblown debris east of recyclable bin.