Public Comments Sought on Proposed Coal Ash Cleanup Settlement with Rotary Drilling Supply in Jefferson County, Mo.

EPA Press Release:

U.S. Environmental Protection Agency, Region 7

11201 Renner Boulevard, Lenexa, KS 66219

Iowa, Kansas, Missouri, Nebraska, and Nine Tribal Nations

Public Comments Sought on Proposed Coal Ash Cleanup Settlement with Rotary Drilling Supply in Jefferson County, Mo.

Contact Information: David Bryan, 913-551-7433, bryan.david@epa.gov

Environmental News

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE

(Lenexa, Kan., May 30, 2013) - EPA Region 7 and Rotary Drilling have reached a proposed agreement to address environmental impacts from the unauthorized disposal of approximately 140,000 tons of coal ash from the Rush Island Power Plant owned and operated by Union Electric Company (d/b/a Ameren Missouri). EPA is accepting public comment on the settlement pursuant to the federal Resource Conservation and Recovery Act (RCRA).

In an administrative order on consent (AOC), EPA alleges that the dumping of the coal ash on property owned by Rotary Drilling Supply, Inc., located in Jefferson County, Mo., impacted wetlands, an unnamed tributary to Plattin Creek, and a portion of Willers Lake. The coal ash contains environmentally harmful metals that migrate into adjacent surface waters.

Between October 2004 and September 2008, Rotary Drilling and another company, Mineral Resource Technologies, Inc., contracted with Kleinschmidt Trucking, Inc., to haul and dispose of approximately 95,000 tons of coal ash to the Rotary Drilling site. During that time period, Mineral Resource Technologies, Inc., contracted with Union Electric Company to find and secure locations for coal ash disposal. In 2007, Union Electric contracted directly with Kleinschmidt Trucking, Inc., to haul and dispose of approximately 45,000 tons of coal ash from the Rush Island Power Plant at Rotary Drilling’s property.

EPA’s proposed settlement, issued pursuant to federal RCRA authority, requires Rotary Drilling to abate impacts of the coal ash disposal by placing a protective cap over the coal ash piles and installing controls to prevent the continued migration of coal ash constituents into wetlands and other surface waters.

Additionally, Rotary Drilling must mitigate for lost wetland functions by purchasing wetland mitigation bank credits. Wetland mitigation bank credits involve the restoration, creation, enhancement, or preservation of a wetland, stream, or habitat conservation area to offset adverse impacts to similar nearby ecosystems. The goal is to replace the function and value of the specific wetland habitats that have been adversely impacted.

A copy of the Administrative Record is located at the Crystal City Public Library, 736 Mississippi Ave., Crystal City, MO 63019. EPA invites the public to comment on the AOC. The 30-day public comment period opens on May 30, 2013, and runs through June 28, 2013.

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EPA Recognizes U.S. Coast Guard for Efficient, Green Cleanup of Curtis Bay Yard Superfund Site

EPA Press Release:

EPA Recognizes U.S. Coast Guard for Efficient, Green Cleanup

of Curtis Bay Yard Superfund Site

BALTIMORE (May 30, 2013)  - The U.S. Coast Guard has completed cleanup construction activity at the Curtis Bay Yard Superfund site in Anne Arundel County, Md., the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency announced today.

EPA provided oversight of the massive 11-year cleanup project and the U.S. Coast Guard led the cleanup effort, which included excavating thousands of tons of contaminated soil and sediment while making use of innovative green practices.

“This cleanup will ensure a healthy environment for the Curtis Bay Yard and the surrounding community, and help with Chesapeake Bay restoration efforts,” said EPA Mid-Atlantic Regional Administrator Shawn M. Garvin.  “Not only did the Coast Guard work quickly and efficiently at this site, but its use of green practices proudly reflects the Coast Guard’s commitment to environmental stewardship.”

The contaminants of concern at the site included semi-volatile organic compounds, metals, polychlorinated biphenyls and dioxin. 

The Coast Guard’s green remediation included recycling materials, creating green space and minimizing hazardous waste.  Overall during the cleanup, 2,616 tons of concrete were recycled and about 25,000 tons of contaminated soil were treated onsite so it could be shipped to a non-hazardous waste landfill.  This saved more than 500,000 truck miles and approximately

$6 million compared to sending the soil to a hazardous waste landfill.  In addition, approximately 20 tons of steel were recycled.

"Eleven years ago, the Coast Guard Yard was placed on the National Priorities List to address contamination from past practices going all the way back to the Yard's start in 1899,” said Captain Richard K. Murphy, Commanding Officer, U.S. Coast Guard Yard. “This began a very productive partnership with EPA and the Maryland Department of the Environment culminating in the remediation of all identified sites. Today, the Yard is a leader in the field of environmental management, and we continue to partner with the EPA and MDE to ensure a healthy environment for the Yard, our neighbors, as well as protecting the vital ecosystem of the Chesapeake Bay."

The Chesapeake Bay benefits from this cleanup in several ways. Low impact storm water designs were used to help absorb water into the ground during heavy rains instead of uncontrolled run-off with potential pollutants. These designs replace solid concrete with porous pavers and add more green space with grass, trees and shrubs.

In addition to using innovative remediation, the Coast Guard also chose to clean up the Yard to the more stringent residential cleanup standards rather than using the industrial standards.  This creates more options for future use of the property.

The Coast Guard Yard, located six miles southeast of downtown Baltimore, is a 113-acre ship repair facility used to design, build and repair state-of-the-art ships and boats.  The facility incorporates many sustainable manufacturing practices including creating its own electricity from landfill gas at an on-site co-generation plant.   The crane electrification project further reduces the Yard’s carbon footprint. 

Umicore Selects GE Technology to Help Remove Selenium, Other Heavy Metals from Recycling Plant’s Wastewater

Press release:

08 May 2012

Umicore Selects GE Technology to Help Remove Selenium, Other Heavy Metals from Recycling Plant’s Wastewater

 

• Project Represents First Full-Scale Rollout of GE’s ABMet* Technology in Europe
• Process Meets or Exceeds Stringent Standards for Selenium Removal

MUNICH, GERMANY—May 8, 2012—Umicore, a global leader in materials technology, has selected GE’s (NYSE: GE) Advanced Biological Metals Removal Process (ABMet*) wastewater bioreactor technology to remove selenium and other heavy metals from wastewater discharges at Umicore’s precious metals recycling facility near Antwerp, Belgium. The first full-scale installation of GE’s ABMet technology in Europe, this project will help Umicore to achieve low parts-per-billion (ppb) levels of heavy metals in wastewater discharges. Commercial operation will begin by the end of 2013.

ABMet is a proven, reliable way to remove elevated levels of selenium, nitrate and metals found in wastewater streams in many industrial, mining and utility applications, such as at coal-fired power plants. The simple, low-energy system can achieve up to 99 percent removal of selenium and can discharge treated effluent containing 5 ppb or less of selenium, depending on wastewater makeup.

In pilot trials performed at Umicore’s Hoboken, Belgium, facility, the ABMet system proved to be the ideal technology for this application. It employs biofilters seeded with selected strains of naturally occurring, non-pathogenic microorganisms to produce treated effluent wastewater that meets or exceeds the stringent regulatory standards for removal of selenium and other heavy metals. The ABMet system at Umicore’s Hoboken plant will be able to treat an average 160 m³/hour (1,013 gpm) of wastewater.

“GE’s ABMet technology is a key part of our strategy to be able to meet new regulations and also to demonstrate Umicore’s commitment to eco-friendly operations,” said Peter van Herck, manager environmental affairs, Umicore Hoboken. “This unique product helps us to meet important, but challenging regulations, because our facility produces a waste stream containing a varying makeup of metals, depending on what we are recycling.”

“GE’s ABMet wastewater bioreactor technology has demonstrated its advantages in many applications in North America, and now we are beginning to roll it out to Europe,” said Jeff Connelly, vice president, engineered systems—water and process technologies for GE Power & Water. “GE always strives to provide the technology and expertise our customers need to solve their most difficult and important problems, and as the Umicore installation shows, this commitment delivers significant benefits to our customer.”

The Hoboken facility recovers a range of precious and specialty metals from recycled consumer and industrial goods, and as a result, produces a highly complex wastewater stream requiring different unit operations to remove and recover metals before discharge.

The ABMet system comprises microbes seeded in a bed of activated carbon that acts as a growth medium so that the microbes can create a biofilm. Wastewater passes through the biofilm and a reduction reaction occurs, facilitating the conversion of soluble selenium into elemental selenium, which is then removed from the system along with other metals and nitrate. A proprietary molasses-based product is used as a nutrient for the microbes, and other than the addition of the nutrient, the system is self-sustaining once established.

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