Loading...
HomeMy WebLinkAbout5303_INSP_20240207FACILITY COMPLIANCE INSPECTION REPORT Division of Waste Management Solid Waste Section Page 1 of 5 UNIT TYPE: Lined MSWLF LCID YW Transfer Compost X SLAS COUNTY: WAKE Closed MSWLF HHW White goods Incin T&P FIRM PERMIT NO.: 5303-COMPOST-1992 DS-53-013 CDLF Tire T&P / Collection Tire Monofill Industrial Landfill DEMO SDTF FILE TYPE: COMPLIANCE Date of Site Inspection: February 7, 2024 FACILITY NAME AND ADDRESS: Sanford Compost Facility 601 N Fifth Street Sanford, NC 27331 GPS COORDINATES: Lat.: 35.49279 Long.: -79.17184 FACILITY CONTACT NAME AND PHONE NUMBER: Kris Furmage, Facilities & Beautification Administrator, (m) 919-356-4288, kris.furmage@sanfordnc.net Ebony McLean, Facilities & Beautification Coordinator, (o) 919-777-1206, e.mclean@sanfordnc.net FACILITY CONTACT ADDRESS: PO Box 3729 Sanford, NC 27331-3729 PARTICIPANTS: Tim Davis, NCDEQ Kris Furmage, City of Sanford Steven Lynn, City of Sanford Mike Webster, City of Sanford STATUS OF PERMIT: Permit to Operate (PTO), Type I issued June 17, 2014; exp. June 17, 2019 Written request for 2024 permit review with an updated operations plan to be submitted prior to June 2024. PURPOSE OF SITE VISIT: Comprehensive Compliance Inspection STATUS OF PAST NOTED VIOLATIONS: None OBSERVED VIOLATIONS: None FACILITY COMPLIANCE INSPECTION REPORT Division of Waste Management Solid Waste Section Page 2 of 5 ADDITIONAL COMMENTS The facility is a large Type I compost facility which receives yard waste through year-round residential curb-side collection consisting of limbs, brush, grass, and leaves. The facility is currently operating under the permit issued on June 17, 2014. Please ensure that an updated/modified operations plan, upon request for permit review, includes all current operations taking place at the facility. Compost Facility 1. The facility is secured by a locking gate at the entrance when not in operation. Personnel are on site during operating hours, which are 8:00am to 5:00pm Monday to Friday. The facility is closed from 12:00pm to 1:00pm daily to allow a lunch break for facility personnel. 2. The 2014 facility permit and operations plan are kept off site in the main office outside the gate, but were made available during this inspection. It is recommended that copies of all required documents are kept on site and that owners/operators periodically review these documents with facility staff. 3. Facility staff training records were not available during this inspection, and no current staff have completed a certified compost operations course by the US Composting Council Certification Commission or an equivalent training course. Though not required for Large Type 1 compost facilities at this time, it is recommended that facility operations staff complete a Division approved solid waste management facility operator training course as provided in GS 130A-309.25(c) and 15A NCAC 13B .1406(19)(a). 4. Application For Large Type 1 Compost Facility, Section 4 – Operational Procedures, Page 32 states in part: “Monitoring of temperature is done on windrows #2 through #10. All temperatures are taken in 3 places on each windrow - at each end and at the center. Temperatures are monitored on Monday, Wednesday, and Friday of each week until mature compost is produced.” At the time of this inspection, minimal temperature data was produced, consisting only of daily logs dated 1/8/2024 and 1/22/2024. Each of these logs displayed temperatures below the required 131 degrees F. Ensure that daily operational records are kept onsite which include temperature measurements, moisture levels, and aeration intervals of each individual windrow taken and recorded as required by the Operational Procedures Manuel, 15A NCAC 13B .1408 (a), and the facility permit. Temperatures should be measured and recorded until each complete windrow is maintained at or above 131 degrees F for at least three days. Once temperature requirements have been achieved, no new material should be added to the finished compost windrows. 5. Roads are of all-weather construction and were in good condition at the time of this inspection. It is recommended that a water truck or another form of water application is utilized during dry weather conditions to prevent dust from becoming a nuisance or safety hazard. 6. Permit to Operate, Attachment 3, (9), “Trash and unacceptable wastes received at the site must be stored in containers and promptly removed from the site for proper disposal.” During this inspection, plastic waste and windblown litter was observed on top of and around the compost windrows, within and around the finished compost pile and a western compost storage/overage pile, and scattered throughout the facility grounds. Mr. Furmage stated that the screening company previously contracted to remove unacceptable wastes from incoming leaves has not been retained due to budget constraints. Mr. Furmage also stated that inmate crews are periodically utilized to pick up windblown litter and unacceptable wastes. Ensure that unacceptable waste is removed from feedstocks and windrows as it is encountered, and 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 windblown litter is collected and disposed of throughout daily operations and at the end of each operating day. 7. Windrow dimensions for active composting were of manageable size and adequate spacing is being maintained to provide vehicular access on all sides. Mr. Webster stated that the windrow turner was currently out of service and waiting to be repaired. 8. 15A NCAC 13B .1406 (2), “Erosion control measures shall be practiced to prevent on-site erosion and to control the movement of silt or contaminants from the site.” At the time of this inspection, the stormwater catch basins along the southern edge of the active composting area were inundated with soil, sediment, and compost/decayed leaf material, causing stormwater to pond and stagnate within them. Some of the catch basin drainage pipes were completely clogged with soil and were non-functional. Ensure that all stormwater catch basins and are cleaned of soil and debris, and restored according to plan specs to ensure they function as designed. Recommend sediment fencing or other barrier be installed on at least the northern side of each basin to prevent sediment and debris from washing into the basins. 9. Limbs and brush are stockpiled on the western side of the facility until they can be ground by a contractor (Shavender Trucking) and sold as wood mulch/landscaping material. Mr. Furmage stated that the limbs are ground once per year due to budget constraints. Mr. Lynn stated that a large overage pile of unused compost mixed with dirt and woody debris located to the east of the active windrows was set aside to be screened but had been onsite for a “couple of years”. Ensure that incoming limbs are ground as often as necessary to ensure material is either reused or disposed of within 1 year of acquisition in accordance with General Statute 130A-309.05 (c)(1). The unused overage compost mixed with dirt and woody waste should be disposed of at a permitted facility. TDDSS DS53-013 10. Temporary Disaster Debris Staging Site DS53-013 is located on the Sanford Compost Facility property to the west of the active composting area. This site is currently listed as an “available” site in the DWM Solid Waste Section database and was last activated in October 2018 after Hurricane Florence. 11. Excess incoming leaves that are not used for compost production are being temporarily staged/stored at the debris site until Brooks Contractor is able to remove them. Neither the 2014 nor the 2019 Operational Procedures manuals reference the existence of or staging/storing of excess leaves. Ensure that all current facility operations, including staging/storage of excess leaves (or other material), is outlined within an updated operations plan and submitted to the Division for approval. 12. Please note that in the event of a natural disaster, disaster debris is required to be segregated from other solid waste to obtain reimbursement from FEMA. It is recommended that the temporary staging/storage of excess leaves be moved to a different approved location within the facility to ensure the availability of the site as necessary. 13. The operator should investigate alternate and/or additional methods of disposal or reuse for the excess leaves and compost at this facility. 14. Any changes to the operations or facility should be submitted to the Division for approval prior to implementation. 15. Corrective measures are necessary for this facility. 16. Digital photographs were taken during this inspection. Please contact me if you have any questions or concerns regarding this inspection report. ________________________________________ Phone: 919-707-8290 FACILITY COMPLIANCE INSPECTION REPORT Division of Waste Management Solid Waste Section Page 4 of 5 Tim Davis timothy.davis@deq.nc.gov Environmental Senior Specialist Regional Representative Sent on: February 29, 2024 X Email Hand delivery US Mail Certified No. [ _] Copies (email): Drew Hammonds, Eastern District Supervisor – Solid Waste Section Jim Barber, Permitting Engineer – Solid Waste Section Sherri Stanley, Permitting Branch Head - Solid Waste Section Ebony McLean, Facilities & Beautification Coordinator – City of Sanford Photographs taken by Tim Davis on 2/7/2024. General view of compost windrows. View of plastic waste and litter within and around finished compost pile. View of eastern stormwater catch basin. View of western stormwater catch basin. FACILITY COMPLIANCE INSPECTION REPORT Division of Waste Management Solid Waste Section Page 5 of 5 View of drainage pipe within western catch basin clogged with soil. View of limb and brush stockpile. View #1 of disaster debris staging site DS53-013. View #2 of disaster debris staging site DS53-013.