NCS000594_HWS Inspection_20160112

HAZARDOUS WASTE SECTION - COMPLIANCE BRANCH
FILE TRANSMITTAL & DATA ENTRY FORM
Your Name: WILLIAM HUNNEKE
Farility ID Numher7 NCn9961 R9071l
Facility Name: SEPRO CORPOKAI ION RLSLARCH CAMPUS
Document Group: Inspection/Investigation (1)
Document Type: I - Compliance Evaluation Inspection (CEI)
File Description/Comments: Laboratory Focused follow-up to 10/15/15 Inspection. No violations.
Date of Document: 1/12/2f),16
Author(s) of Document: William Hunneke
Inspector ID #: NC060
Suborganization: Eastern Region
County (if not on report): NASH

STATE OF NORTH CAROLINA
DEPARTMENT OF ENVIRONMENTAL QUALITY
DIVISION OF WASTE MANAGEMENT
HAZARDOUS WASTE SECTION
FOCUSED COMPLIANCE EVALUATION INSPECTION REPORT
FACILITY INFORMATION:
Facility Name:
EPA ID Number:
Type of Facility:
Facility Location/
Mailing Address:
Telephone Number:
Property Owner:
Property Owner Address:
Legal Owner of Business:
FACILITY CONTACT:
Phone Number:
Email Address:
PARTICIPANTS:
Representing facility:
Representing NCDEQ:
DATE OF SITE VISIT:
SEPRO CORPORATION RESEARCH CAMPUS
NCD986189074
Conditionally Exempt Small Quantity Generator (CESQG)
16013 Watson Seed Road, Whitakers, NC 27891
Nash County
252-391-8373
Sepro Development Company, LLC
11550 North Meridian Street, Carmel, IN 46032
Sepro Corporation
Bill Whitford, Director of Manufacturing & Logistics
252-391-8373
[e-mail]
Bill Whitford, Hamid Ullah, Sophia Ullah (chemistry area),
Ben Willis (plant culture area)
William Hunneke & Harvi Cooper
January 12, 2016 onsite: 1000 hrs. offsite: 1145 hrs.
PURPOSE OF SITE VISIT:
Initially response to an anonymous complaint posted on the Environmental Protection Agency's website
alleging improper disposal of pesticide/herbicide laboratory waste coupled with an unannounced
Compliance Evaluation Inspection to determine compliance with 40 CFR 261, 262, 265 273, 279 and
268. A compliance evaluation inspection was performed at the site on October 15, 2015 however field
laboratory personnel were not available that day. Consequently, the focus of this investigation is
exclusively on the field laboratory.
FACILITY DESCRIPTION:
The Field Laboratory/Formulations Laboratory sits adjacent to the company's aquatic test impoundments
and is used to grow out customer aquatic plant sample species in preparation for planting in the test
impoundments. Additionally, the wet chemistry section of the field lab performs side by side testing of
competitor products against company formulations to gather efficacy and concentration data. Very small
amounts of waste are generated which are customarily placed down a sink that drains to a six -hundred -
gallon underground tank that is pumped out several times per year and according to Mr. Whitford,
currently managed as hazardous waste. Small amounts of acetone used to final wash the cleaned
glassware go down the sink. Larger, but still relatively small amounts (several gallons at most) of wet

SePro Corporation Research Campus NCD986189074
Focused Compliance Evaluation Inspection Report Page 2 of 2
January 12, 2016
chemistry waste are brought back to the facility's inanufacturing/blending building for reuse in
manufacturing and are not considered hazardous waste.
AREAS OF REVIEW AND INSPECTION:
Emergency preparedness, manifests, and inspection records were all covered in the previous CEI report of
October 15, 2015 and are not discussed in this report. On the day of the inspection, interviews with
laboratory personnel were conducted in the field lab to ascertain common practice and expressly identify
any hazardous wastes generated. The aquaculture and plant testing (referred to as the cylinder) rooms do
not typically generate hazardous waste as most everything is either decontaminated in an autoclave or
moved outside to the test impoundments. As mentioned above, the wet chemistry lab generates acetone
in minute amounts which is then managed as hazardous waste.
CONCLUSIONS:
I here do not appear to be any hazardous waste violations at the field/formulations lab. the facility must
ensure any hazardous waste is containerized and that the contents of the underground collection tank is
managed appropriately. Additionally, a waste determination must be completed on any sludge dredged
from the ponds or wastewater removed from the ponds. The facility may not transfer waste water of any
kind into surface impoundments without a discharge permit.
William Hunneke
Environmental Senior Specialist, NCDEQ
Copy of report provided to facility contact
February 5, 2016
Date