1205T_INSP_20240123

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: BURKE
Closed MSWLF HHW White goods X Incin T&P X FIRM PERMIT NO.: 1205T-TRANSFER-1998
CDLF Tire T&P / Collection X Tire Monofill Industrial Landfill DEMO SDTF FILE TYPE: COMPLIANCE

Date of Site Inspection: 1/23/2024 Date of Last Inspection: 8/16/2022
FACILITY NAME AND ADDRESS: Burke County Johns River Waste Management Facility 2500 Marsh Trail Morganton, NC 28680 GPS COORDINATES: Lat: 35.787121° Long: -81.643331° FACILITY CONTACT NAME AND PHONE NUMBER:
Name: Mark Delehant, Director – Burke County General Services Telephone: [phone]
Email address: [e-mail] FACILITY CONTACT ADDRESS:
Brian Epley, County Manager- Burke County [e-mail] P.O. Box 219 Morganton, NC 28680
PARTICIPANTS:
Mark Delehant, General Services Director- Burke County David Ingram, Solid Waste Collections Supervisor - Burke County Summer Justice, NCDEQ- Solid Waste Section
STATUS OF PERMIT: Permit Approval to Operate 1205T-TRANSFER-1998 Burke County Transfer Facility issued January 5, 2024
PURPOSE OF SITE VISIT: Comprehensive Inspection STATUS OF PAST NOTED VIOLATIONS: N/A
OBSERVED VIOLATIONS:
None.

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 2 of 7
ADDITIONAL COMMENTS
1. All photographs were taken by Summer Justice during the inspection. 2. The site was secured with a gate to prevent unauthorized access. 3. Traffic markers were posted around the site for traffic control.
4. Access roads at the facility were of all-weather construction and appeared to be maintained.
Records Review 5. Certified Transfer Station Operations Specialists:
• David Ingram (expires May 3, 2025)
• David Penley (expires March 12, 2025)
• Michael Crump (expires June 25, 2027)
• Anthony Ray (expires May 18, 2024)
• Curtis Cook (expires September 13, 2024)
• Larry Harris (expires September 13, 2024)
• Johnathan Seagraves (expires March 21, 2025)
6. Tonnage records from the 2022-2023 Facility Annual Report showed that the facility received 64,692 tons of waste, for an average of 211 tons per operating day. Facility scale records reviewed after the date of inspection indicated that the facility received 20,527.7 tons of waste from September 2023-December 2023.
7. Waste screening reports were available for review for the period of July 7, 2023- January 17, 2024. The waste screening forms reviewed indicated the removal and final disposition of unacceptable waste. Continue waste screening efforts and ensure that the weekly tonnage requirement is met. 8. Cleaning and maintenance records were reviewed for the period of January 13, 2023-December 22, 2023. According to the records reviewed, the walls of the transfer station are washed twice monthly and were last washed December 22, 2023. 9. The current Permit to Operate was available for review. 10. Records of annual staff training updates including review of the operations plan and permit as required by 15A
NCAC 13B .0405(a)(7) will be reviewed during the next inspection. Operations Inspection of the Transfer Station 1205T-TRANSFER-1998 11. Waste is deposited on the concrete tipping floor by residential and commercial customers. Waste from the transfer station is currently hauled by Endurance to Foothills Landfill in Caldwell County for disposal.
12. As noted in previous facility inspection reports (Kris Riddle), the push walls are in poor condition and the tipping floor is showing severe signs of spalling and exposed rebar. Pooling of leachate was observed in the degraded areas. The tipping floor needs repair or replacement. Ensure that the tipping floor and push walls are maintained. 13. The I-beams and deflector panels in the loading bay appeared to have some dust accumulation. Ensure that these areas are included in the regular pressure washing.
14. The trailer loading bay appeared to be well maintained and contained minimal debris. 15. The tipping floor and receiving bay trench drains appeared to be clear and functional. Leachate is collected in a 5,000-gallon underground storage tank on the southeastern side of the facility. Leachate is pumped and hauled as needed to City of Morganton Wastewater Treatment Plant. According to facility records, Asbury’s Septic Tank Cleaning & Backhoe Service, Inc. last pumped the leachate on January 4, 2024. 16. As noted in previous facility inspection reports (Kris Riddle) the southern wall of the transfer station building is damaged. Facility staff stated that sheet metal had been ordered to fix the damaged southern wall of the transfer station building. Ensure that the transfer station building is maintained. 17. During the inspection, wooden pallets were observed on the tipping floor. However, facility staff immediately removed the pallets and placed them in the T&P area. Continue waste screening efforts and document pallet removal to T&P area on waste screening forms.
18. Full, tarped trailers are staged on the southeastern side of the transfer station building. In the event of a leaking
FACILITY COMPLIANCE INSPECTION REPORT
Division of Waste Management
Solid Waste Section

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trailer, facility staff place troughs under the leaking area to collect leachate. At the time of inspection, the two full staged trailers appeared to be leak resistant. 19. Water supply is provided to the tipping floor in the form of a water hose. 20. Windblown debris was very well maintained at the facility. 21. Vectors, odor, and dust were minimal and well managed at the time of inspection.
Operations Inspection of Miscellaneous Collection Areas 22. A roll-off container is maintained southwest of the scale house for the collection of household MSW. No solid waste issues were observed in this area. 23. Recyclables are collected in multiple containers north of the transfer station on the adjacent concrete pad. 24. Used oil is collected in a covered area north of the transfer station on the adjacent concrete pad. Batteries are
collected in a bin adjacent to the covered used oil collection area. 25. White goods and scrap metals are accepted on a concrete pad across the street and southwest from the transfer station area. Commercial Metals Company (CMC) is contracted for refrigerant and scrap metal removal. According to facility records, refrigerants were most recently recovered by CMC in December 2023. 26. Facility staff stated that electronics are not being collected on site at this time. 27. The scrap tire area, located to the south of the white good and scrap metal collection area, appeared to be well
maintained. Three trailers are staged for tire collection and removed by US Tire Recycling as needed. The facility keeps an open top dumpster for the collection of tires on the rim. The rim is removed and placed in the scrap metal collection area. Facility staff stated that these tires do not remain in the uncovered open top dumpster for greater than 10 days. Continue to manage tires per 15A NCAC 13B .1107(c): “Whole and partial scrap tires capable of holding water shall be covered upon receipt with a water shedding material or disposed of, processed, or removed
from the site within ten days of receipt…”. Operations Inspection of the Treatment and Processing Area
28. The T&P area is permitted to receive land clearing debris, unpainted/untreated wooden pallets, and yard waste (as stated in permit, if yard waste is accepted it cannot be distributed to the public unless it has been composted in
accordance with 15A NCAC 13B .1400). Currently, the facility contracts Farmer’s Mulch and Rock, Inc. for grinding of material as needed. No unacceptable material was observed at the time of inspection, and surface water appeared to be properly diverted from storage areas. According to facility staff, Farmer’s Mulch serviced the T&P
area in December 2023. Please contact me if you have any questions or concerns regarding this inspection report.
___________________________ Phone: [phone] _ Summer Justice Environmental Senior Specialist Regional Representative
Sent on: January 31, 2024
To: Brian Epley and Mark Delehant
X Email Hand delivery US Mail Certified No. [ _]

Copies: Deb Aja, Western District Supervisor - Solid Waste Section David Ingram, Solid Waste Collections Supervisor – Burke County, [e-mail]
FACILITY COMPLIANCE INSPECTION REPORT
Division of Waste Management
Solid Waste Section

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Pallets on the tipping floor.

Pallets being removed from the tipping floor.
FACILITY COMPLIANCE INSPECTION REPORT
Division of Waste Management
Solid Waste Section

Page 5 of 7
Exposed rebar on the tipping floor.

Trailer loading bay.
FACILITY COMPLIANCE INSPECTION REPORT
Division of Waste Management
Solid Waste Section

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Clear trench drain.

Damaged exterior wall of trailer loading bay.
FACILITY COMPLIANCE INSPECTION REPORT
Division of Waste Management
Solid Waste Section

Page 7 of 7
Dust accumulation on deflector panels and I-beams.