Niagara
Valley Resource Recovery Facility Audit Questionnaire
Site
Management
1. Provide facility name and address, including corporate
structure, EPA ID number, any State or Federal permits and ID numbers.
Facility Name and Address
American Ref-Fuel Company of Niagara
100 Energy Blvd @ 56th Street
Niagara Falls, New York 14304
Tel.: (716) 284-0031
EPA ID Number
NYD986930543 (only for use in accepting used oil contaminated material)
NYSDEC Facility Number
32E01
Title |
Permit No. |
Effective |
Expiration |
New
York State Department of Environmental Conservation |
Air Title V |
9-2911-00113/00039 |
1/27/00 |
1/27/05 |
Solid Waste |
9-2911-00113/00023 |
1/5/00 |
1/15/05 |
SPDES Discharge |
NY
0106259 |
12/1/95 |
12/1/05 |
Hazardous Sub.
Bulk |
9-000239 |
5/4/99 |
7/27/03 |
Petroleum Bulk
Stor. |
9-221279 |
5/15/98 |
6/1/03
|
City
of Niagara Falls |
Sanitary Sewer
Dis. |
32 |
12/3/95 |
12/3/05 |
Corporate Structure
The facility is owned and operated by American Ref-Fuel
2. Provide financial statement and amount of security,
review of closure and post closure estimates.
Company is privately owned and operated. Our parent companies Annual
Reports are available for review. The facility has a closure
plan on file with the NYSDEC. The plan requires facility
clean up after closure. No long term monitoring is required.
3. List of acceptable wastes, permitted volumes and
final disposal of ash.
Non-hazardous waste: residential, commercial, and industrial.
Industrial waste streams can only be accepted with prior approval from
the NYSDEC. Ref-Fuel Niagara has an Industrial Waste Specification
Sheet as well as a Waste Profile Sheet (must be completed and
submitted to Ref-Fuel Niagara).
Treatment provided is combustion in mass burn furnace/boiler.
Pollution control includes: good combustion for organic
control, urea injection for NOx control, Spray dry absorber
(lime injection) for acid gas control, carbon injection
(2 ? 2.5% carbon in lime) for mercury control, baghouse
filtration for particulate control.
The facility is required to do a complete round of
compliance stack testing on each furnace/boiler every 12 months.
Ash residue is currently being sent to a local landfill
(double composite liner, leachate collection, leak detection, etc).
Solid waste permit annual limit - 821,250 tons
4. Provide the following insurance information,
comprehensive general liability, workers compensation,
environmental impairment and indemnity liability.
Insurance information is available on this website.
5. Is there on-site security and in-house inspections (self audit)?
There is a 24-hour, around the clock security force on site. Various
in-house inspections/monitoring are done on a daily basis - these
are recorded in operator and shift logs. Monthly inspections are
done on No. 2 Oil and Chemical (water treatment) storage tanks.
The Corporate Environmental Group does a monthly inspection (documented).
Site History
1. What was the site used for prior to current operations?
Occidental Chemical Corporation owned the facility until May 1993. They
operated the refuse derived fuel combustion boilers (now retired from
burning municipal waste). Prior to Occidental, the site was owned
by Union Carbide Corporation and was the site of various metal
processing operations.
2. How old is the current operation?
American Ref-Fuel assumed ownership of the existing refuse derived
fuel combustion facility from Occidental in May 1993. In August
1994 construction of the new DBA mass burn facility began.
The new facility started up in July 1996.
3. Has the site operations changed significantly
or has the site been modified since waste treatment
(incineration) began on site?
Yes. In August 1994 construction began on the new DBA mass burn
combustion furnace/boilers with all the accompanying pollution
control equipment. The new DBA process started up in July 1996.
4. What treatment or storage methods were
used in the past which are not currently active?
None.
5. How long is the final product (ash) stored on site?
Less than one day.
6. List all reported spills or State or Federal violations in the last three years.
Several small oil/fuel spills - hydraulic hose / diesel fuel
leaks from trucks transporting solid waste into the facility
have been reported to the NYSDEC. No significant spills have occurred.
7. Are there any consent decrees or litigation pending?
No.
Site Setting
1. Identify neighbors who might potentially be
affected by site operations or an accidental spill or
release to the environment.
The site is immediately bordered by heavy industry.
Residential neighbors are approximately 1/2 mile to the east and west.
2. Are there any sensitive populations or areas within
three miles of the site, i.e., school, hospitals, wetlands,
parks, wildlife management areas, recreation or drinking
water sources?
Yes, schools are located within 3 miles of our site.
3. Identify the closest residential populations, i.e., distance.
Approximately 1/2 mile to the east.
4. What is the drinking water source in the area?
Niagara River.
5. Are any wells used to supply drinking water in the area?
None known. Municipal supplied water.
6. Identify the depth to groundwater.
Approximately 30 feet. Perched water is closer to grade.
7. Does the facility emit any significant air emissions
which might potentially affect workers and/or the local population?
No.
Regulatory Compliance
1. Are all permits current?
Yes
2. Are any up for renewal in the following year?
The SPDES stormwater discharge permit and the sanitary sewer
(City of Niagara Falls) discharge permit expire in December 2000.
No problems are expected in renewing those permits.
3. Have any permits expired or been revoked?
No.
4 Is the facility complying with all requirements of the permit?
Yes
5. Has the facility been issued any notices of violation?
If yes, what are the nature of the violations and what steps
have been taken to address the issues?
Three notice of violation for sanitary sewer water discharge with pH
below 5 for more than 5 minutes. All three discharges were approximately
5-7 minutes. In response the Neutralization tank operating
procedures have been revised.
The facility received a notice of violation for an exceedance of
a stack test parameter. The NYSDEC concluded that the exceedance
was a result of a design flaw. The design flaw was corrected and
subsequent testing demonstrated that all parameters are within
permit limits.
6. Is the Facility currently under a consent decree or order?
If yes, what are the nature of the violations and what steps
have been taken to address the issues?
No.
7. Please provide all necessary documentation provided by State
or Federal authorities that indicate that are ash is legally
considered non-hazardous.
This is available at the facility. The ash is sampled and analyzed every 6 months.
8. Is the following training given to employees?
(a) Hazardous (RCRA) and/or non-hazardous waste handling procedures.
Yes
(b) OSHA Hazard Communications and Right to Know, if applicable.
Yes
(c) OSHA 1910.120 (Emergency Response Training), if applicable.
Not Applicable
9. Does the facility have a contingency plan or emergency response plan?
Yes - contingency plan.
10. When was the plan last revised?
January 1999.
Waste Handling & Containment
1. Is any waste that is delivered to the facility for processing
contained in drums on-site? If yes, is the containment area
diked, in good condition, impervious and orderly?
At this time drum wastes are not stored, The drum wastes
are put into the refuse bunker after delivery. There may
be short-term storage (hours) on the tipping floor.
A concrete secondary containment dike is available for a
limited number of drums, if necessary.
2. Is waste that is delivered to the facility
for processing contained in tanks on-site? If yes,
are tanks in good condition and what are their approximate age?
No.
3. What is the permeability of the diking and
containment structures utilized on-site?
Not applicable.
4. How is runoff from containment or operations managed?
Stormwater is collected in catch basins and conveyed to a collection sump,
from which the water is pumped to the Niagara River. All waste is
stored in side a building - stormwater does not contact any
waste holding area.
5. Is the facility regulated under a NPDES permit?
Yes.
6. Is waste handled in such a way as to prevent releases,
contact with incompatibilities or safety hazards, i.e.,
ground, segregation, etc.?
Yes.
Services
1. What method of treatment, storage or disposal are
offered by the facility, i.e., storage method, treatment
and disposal methods on site?
Incineration, assured destruction.
2. What types of waste is the facility permitted to accept?
Non-hazardous waste, NYSDEC approved non-hazardous industrial waste,
Used oil contaminated materials
3. Are there any limits to the quantity?
Yes, 821,250 tons/year of non hazardous wastes.
4. How is each specific waste type handled or treated on site?
All incoming waste is unloading and stored inside a building.
Storage is in concrete refuse bunker (nominal capacity 8,000 tons).
Overhead cranes feed the waste into two mass burn combustion
furnace/boilers.
5. Does the facility broker any waste off site? If yes, which waste and where?
No.
6. Is the facility backed by a parent company?
If yes, what is the name of that company?
This facility is owned and operated by American Ref-Fuel Company.
Investors in American Ref-Fuel are Duke Energy North America of Houston,
Texas; and United American Energy Corp. of Woodcliff Lake New Jersey.
Quality Control - Waste Receipt and Analysis
1. What type of waste approval process is used at the facility?
Varies, depending on waste stream under consideration. Typically, a New
York State Department of Environmental Conservation application for
treatment or disposal of an industrial waste is submitted to the facility.
Once it is reviewed by our environmental engineering group it is then
submitted to the NYSDEC for approval.
Of particular interest are waste composition, chlorine and sulfur
content, and total metals (extracted) content.
2. What types of analysis are conducted on waste received at the facility
prior to admittance?
Analysis requirements will vary depending on waste streams.
3. Is the analysis adequate to verify the waste stream and to prohibit
waste which the facility is not permitted to receive?
Yes - Generator must demonstrate that waste is non-hazardous. With
industrial waste streams specific analysis may be required.
Certification by the generator is required.
4. Does the facility track waste and maintain records on receipt,
analysis and destruction or disposal?
Yes.
Residuals Management
1. What residues are generated from on-site processes,
i.e., ash, empty drums, spent carbon, bio-sludge, filters,
etc.?
Ash residue, ferrous and non-ferrous metals.
2. What methods are used for disposal of
residues generated at the Facility or site?
Contractor to haul the material to a local landfill or to scrap metal mill.
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