Ohio EPA: Heritage-WTI in violation of permit

EAST LIVERPOOL The Ohio Environmental Protection Agency has notified Heritage-WTI that it violated a section of its operating permit on May 11, 2010, and each day of hazardous waste incineration thereafter.

The letter, dated June 23, was sent to John Peterka, president of Heritage-WTI operations in East Liverpool.

The letter states, Specifically, the results of testing performed on May 11 and May 12, 2010, show that levels of dioxins/furans and mercury exceeded the emission limitations provided in the permits ...

When asked for comment on the preliminary test results, Heritage-WTI officials called the processes a rigorous two-part compliance test.

The company conducted the test to demonstrate compliance with the U.S. EPAs Maximum Achievable Control Technology rule, known as MACT, Peterka stated.

In summary, the preliminary results show that the facility passed the first part but fell short of meeting the strict limits for dioxin and mercury during the second due to the extreme operating conditions required by the test, Peterka said.

The environmental agency and the company refer to each part of a performance test as a condition.

According to the Ohio EPA letter, certain regulations require Heritage-WTI to conduct comprehensive performance tests to demonstrate compliance with the emission standards, establish limits for the operating parameters and demonstrate compliance with the performance specifications for continuous monitoring systems.

The compliance test was conducted in accordance with a plan that was reviewed and approved earlier this year by state regulators, according to Peterka. He added that the purpose of the plan is to develop a set of conditions that stress the facility during the test.

The plan also was available to the public for review and comment, Peterka noted.

Ohio EPA officials noted that the preliminary test results submitted to the agency on June 14 indicated that the dioxins and furans measurement recorded was 0.518 ng TEQ/dscm at 7 percent oxygen. That measurement exceeded the emission standard of 0.20 ng TEQ/dscm at 7 percent oxygen.

In the same preliminary test, mercury was measured to be 290.6 ug/dscm. That measurement exceeded the emission standard of 130 ug/dscm corrected to 7 percent oxygen, according to the report.

The report also indicates, The other preliminary measurements were below the respective emissions limitations.

As a result of the test, the company is preparing a modified test plan for environmental regulators for the second condition and is planning to retest just that condition as soon as the air-emissions contractor is available to conduct it, Peterka said.

The facility remains in operation in the meantime, operating under even more conservative conditions approved by state and federal regulators, Peterka said.

According to the U.S. EPA, MACT provides for more stringent and uniform control of air emissions from the more than 160 cement kilns, lightweight kilns and incinerators that treat hazardous waste in the U.S., Heritage-WTI officials noted in a press release. The rule became final on Sept. 30, 2003.