American Ref-Fuel Special Waste Services  
"...creating tomorrow's energy from today's waste."
 

Company Information 
Contact Information 
Special Waste Services 

  Waste Approvals 
  Disposal Procedures 
  Disposal Checklist 
  Transportation Logistics 
  Forms 
  Audit Packages 
  Special Waste Marketing 
  Special Waste Services Newsletter 
  Contact Us 
Plant Locations 
Energy Marketing 
Our Process 
Employment 
Site Map 
Links 
Home 
 





 





 
   

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.

Waste Approvals | Disposal Procedures | Transportation Logistics | Forms | Audit Packages | Special Waste Marketing | Special Waste Services Newsletter | Contact Us


Company Information | Contact Information | Special Waste Services | Plant Locations | Energy Marketing | Our Process | Employment | Site Map | Links


 

 

? 1997-2003 American Ref-Fuel. All rights reserved.