9503TTRANSFER1996_NOV_20151120.pdf

PAT MCCRORY

Governor

DONALD R. VAN DER VAART

Secretary

LINDA CULPEPPER

Director
State of North Carolina | Environmental Quality | Waste Management
610 East Center Avenue, Suite 301 | Mooresville, NC 28115
704 663 1699 T

November 20, 2015

CERTIFIED MAIL: 7015 1520 0002 8376 1527
RETURN RECEIPT REQUESTED

Mr. Deron Geouque, Watauga County Manager
814 West King Street, Suite 205
Boone, North Carolina 28607

CERTIFIED MAIL: 7015 1520 0002 8376 1534
RETURN RECEIPT REQUESTED

Mr. J.V. Potter, Operations Service Director
336 Landfill Road
Boone, North Carolina 28607

SUBJECT: Notice of Violation
Compliance Inspection Report
Watauga County Transfer Station
Permit ID#: 9503T-TRANSFER-1996
Watauga County

Dear Sirs:

On November 10, 2015, Charles Gerstell, Environmental Senior Specialist, representing the
State of North Carolina, Division of Waste Management Solid Waste Section, inspected the
above referenced facility for compliance with North Carolina solid waste statues and rules. Mr.
J.V. Potter was present and represented the Watauga County Transfer Station during this
inspection. The following violations were noted:

A. SL2013-413, Section 59.2(c), in amending 15A NCAC 13B .0105, requires that vehicles
or containers used for the collection and transportation of solid waste to “be designed and
maintained to be leak-resistant in accordance with industry standards.”

Watauga County in in violation of Section 59.2(c) in that leachate was observed actively
leaking from loaded trailers being used at Watauga County Transfer Facility to collect
and transport solid waste. Leachate was observed flowing across the pavement to the
edge of a vegetated area to the north and then flowing east to an excavated area within
the vegetated area.
Watauga County Transfer Station
Notice of Violation
Page 2 of 3
November 20, 2015

State of North Carolina | Environmental Quality | Waste Management
610 East Center Avenue, Suite 301 | Mooresville, NC 28115
704 663 1699 T
Based upon the foregoing, within 10-days of receipt of this Notice of Violation, Watauga County
shall come into compliance with all the requirements of the regulations in SL2013-413, Section
59.2(c) by completing the following:

1. Contact Ervin Lane, Compliance Hydrogeologist, to determine the requirements for a soil
sampling plan in order to determine the impact of the leachate release.

Ervin Lane, Compliance Hydrogeologist
Division of Waste Management/Solid Waste Section
1646 Mail Service Center
Raleigh, North Carolina 27699-1646
[phone]

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.

Please keep me informed of your progress in this matter. Solid Waste Section staff will conduct
follow-up inspection(s) to verify that the facility has completed the requirements of this Notice of
Violation.

If you have any questions please contact me at [phone] or
[e-mail].

Sincerely,

Charles T. Gerstell
Environmental Senior Specialist
Division of Waste Management - Solid Waste Section

Digitally signed by Charles T.
Gerstell
DN: cn=Charles T. Gerstell,
o=Division of Waste Management,
ou=Solid Waste Section,
email=[e-mail]
, c=US
Date: 2015.11.20 09:10:02 -05'00'
Watauga County Transfer Station
Notice of Violation
Page 3 of 3
November 20, 2015

State of North Carolina | Environmental Quality | Waste Management
610 East Center Avenue, Suite 301 | Mooresville, NC 28115
704 663 1699 T
Enclosure: Facility Compliance Inspection Report

Cc: Jason Watkins, Field Operations Branch Head
Deb Aja, District Supervisor
Jessica Montie, Compliance Officer

FACILITY COMPLIANCE INSPECTION REPORT
Department of Environmental Quality
Division of Waste Management - Solid Waste Section

UNIT TYPE:
Lined
MSWLF LCID YW Transfer X Compost SLAS COUNTY: Watauga
Closed
MSWLF HHW White
goods X Incin T&P FIRM PERMIT NO.: 9503T-TRANSFER-1996
CDLF Tire T&P /
Collection X Tire
Monofill Industrial
Landfill DEMO SDTF FILE TYPE: COMPLIANCE

Date of Site Inspection: November 10, 2015 Date of Last Inspection: May 19, 2014

FACILITY NAME AND ADDRESS:
Watauga County Transfer Station
336 Landfill Road
Boone, North Carolina 28607

GPS COORDINATES: N: 36.22032 W: 81.63165

FACILITY CONTACT NAME AND PHONE NUMBER:
Name: J.V. Potter, Operations Service Director
Telephone: [phone] (o) or [phone] (m)
Email address: [e-mail]

FACILITY CONTACT ADDRESS:
Same as above

PARTICIPANTS:
J.V. Potter, Operations Service Director
Charles Gerstell, 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 May 29, 2015. This permit shall expire on August 26,
2020.

PURPOSE OF SITE VISIT:
Comprehensive Inspection

STATUS OF PAST NOTED VIOLATIONS:
N/A

OBSERVED VIOLATIONS

SL2013-413, Section 59.2(c), in amending 15A NCAC 13B .0105, requires that vehicles or containers used for the
collection and transportation of solid waste to “be designed and maintained to be leak-resistant in accordance with
industry standards.”

Watauga County in in violation of Section 59.2(c) in that leachate was observed actively leaking from loaded trailers
being used at Watauga County Transfer Facility to collect and transport solid waste. Leachate was observed flowing
across the pavement to the edge of a vegetated area to the north and then flowing east to an excavated area within the
vegetated area.

Mr. Scott Barrett, Regional Manager with KRD Trucking, Inc. confirmed by telephone on November 13, 2015 that both
trailers observed leaking during the November 10, 2015 inspection had been repaired and placed back into service.
FACILITY COMPLIANCE INSPECTION REPORT
Division of Waste Management
Solid Waste Section
Page 2 of 4

View of leachate leaking from loaded trailers. View of leachate leaking from loaded trailers.

View of leachate flowing across pavement View of ponded leachate in vegetated area
toward vegetated area. Note drying material adjacent to trailer parking/staging area.
displaced by leachate flow.

To achieve compliance, within 10-days of receipt of the Notice of Deficiency, Watauga County must take the following
actions:

1. Contact Ervin Lane, Compliance Hydrogeologist, to determine the requirements for a soil sampling plan in
order to determine the impact of the leachate release.

Ervin Lane, Compliance Hydrogeologist
Division of Waste Management/Solid Waste Section
1646 Mail Service Center
Raleigh, North Carolina 27699-1646
[phone]

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 4

ADDITIONAL COMMENTS

1. The facility is permitted to receive waste generated within Ashe, Avery, Caldwell, Watauga and Wilkes
Counties.
2. All waste is transported to the Foothills Environmental MSW landfill (Permit #: 14-03)
3. A gate was located at the entrance to the facility to prevent unauthorized access.

Records Review:

4. The permit and operations plan were verified. Both documents were current and available upon request.
5. Tonnage reports for January 2015 – October 2015 were verified. The facility received approximately 177 tons of
waste each operating day during this time period.
6. Certified Transfer Station Operations Specialists:
x Jim Fink (expires 7/19/18)
x Scott Gregg (expires 3/12/16)
x Jimmy Johnson (expires 11/16/16)
x Dale Miller (expires 5/19/18)
x Terry Scott (expires 11/16/16)
x Douglas Allen Stanberry (expires 7/19/18)
x Ryan A. Woodring (expires 7/19/18)
7. Waste screening reports were verified for January 2015 – November 9, 2015. Reports appeared to be performed
with adequate frequency and provided good documentation of observed unacceptable waste streams along with
final disposition of those wastes.

Operations Inspection of the Transfer Station:

8. Two separate entrance areas are provided for waste acceptance. The general public enters the facility on the
south side of the building while commercial vehicles and larger public vehicles enter on the east side of the
building.
9. No unacceptable waste streams were observed at the time of inspection.
10. The walls of the facility were in need of cleaning. It is recommended that pressure washing of the walls be
performed to remove buildup of residues.
11. The trench drain located along the eastern entrance appeared to be functional at the time of inspection. However,
some portions of the grates covering the drain were partially obstructed by residues. It is recommended that the
grates covering the trench drains be cleaned of residues to ensure proper function of the device. Scheduling of
periodic cleanings is also recommended.
12. Please ensure that all waste on the floor of the transfer trailer loading bay is picked up and properly disposed at
the end of the working day.
13. General Facility Permit Condition #10(d) states: “Effective vector control measures must be applied at all
times to control any potential vectors including flies, rodents, insects, and other vermin.”
x During the inspection, multiple rats were observed on the floor of the transfer trailer loading bay. It is
recommended that the facility implement vector control measures to control the presence of rats at the
facility. This can include, but not be limited to contacting a pest control contractor for assistance.
14. Windblown waste was well controlled at the time of inspection. However, it is recommended that steps be taken
to remove the buildup of small pieces of waste consisting primarily of paper at the entrance and exit to the
trailer loading bay.

Operations Inspection of the White Goods Area:

15. White goods containing chlorofluorocarbon refrigerants (CFCs) were stacked on pavement adjacent to the
northwest corner of the baling/recycling building. This area was well managed

FACILITY COMPLIANCE INSPECTION REPORT
Division of Waste Management
Solid Waste Section
Page 4 of 4

Operations Inspection of the Tire Collection Area:

16. Tires are collected into covered trailers next to a covered loading dock on the west side of the baling/recycling
building. This area was well managed.

Supporting Comments:

17. 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.
18. Electronics are collected within the baling/recycling building and then placed on wooden pallets and shrink
wrapped for placement into a covered trailer for removal by their designated vendor.
19. Florescent bulbs and batteries are collected at the recycling/baling facility.

Operations Inspection of the Permanent HHW Facility (9503-HHW-2005):

20. The facility consists of a steel building with three separate compartments for the collection of HHW.
21. The facility was not in operation as of the date of the inspection.
22. The facility structure had just recently been delivered and placed on a concrete pad. Mr. Potter explained that the
county was currently working to get the fire suppression system charged and operational.

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: 11/20/15 Email Hand
delivery X (with
NOV)
US
Mail
Certified No. [7015 1520 0002
8376 1534]

Copies: Jason Watkins, Field Operations Branch Head
Deb Aja, Western District Supervisor
Jessica Montie, Compliance Officer.
Deron Geouque, Watauga County Manager Certified No.: 7015 1520 0002 8376 1527

Digitally signed by Charles T.
Gerstell
DN: cn=Charles T. Gerstell,
o=Division of Waste Management,
ou=Solid Waste Section,
email=[e-mail]
v, c=US
Date: 2015.11.20 09:03:27 -05'00'