Division of Air and Waste Management

News Updates

DNREC Increases Environmental Controls on Closed Pigeon Point Landfill – DNREC issued a post-closure care permit on Nov. 19 to the Delaware Solid Waste Authority (DSWA) and the City of Wilmington that specifies care and monitoring of the Pigeon Point Landfill near New Castle. The permit establishes controls that protect the environment and public health, and allows the Department to better regulate the closed landfill. The permit requires specific post-closure care activities, including environmental monitoring, cap maintenance, recordkeeping and reporting, and establishes controls for litter, odor, dust and access at the site. In addition, the permit specifically continues the prohibition on disposal of solid waste at the landfill, which has been in place since 1985. DNREC Secretary John A. Hughes signed a Secretary’s Order on Aug. 27, 2008, directing that the post-closure permit be issued. The post-closure permit can be reviewed at: http://www.awm.delaware.gov/SHWMB/Pages/SolidWasteFacilities.aspx. For more information, please contact Robert Hartman at (302) 739-9403.

The Division’s Solid and Hazardous Waste Management Branch (SHWMB)’s Scrap Tire Control & Cleanup Program Completes Sammons Tire Cleanup Project – The project, located at 5036 Forrest Avenue in Dover, was completed on November 14.  Approximately 850 tires (10.6 tons) were removed from an agricultural site by the owner, and the tires were recycled as a fuel source. Under the provisions of the program, DNREC reimbursed the owner for 90% of the cost. This is the fourth cleanup site since the program began. For more information on the program, please visit: http://www.awm.delaware.gov/Info/Pages/ScrapTire.aspx.

Secretary’s Order

DNREC Secretary Signs Order for Adoption of Proposed Amendments to Delaware’s Regulations Governing Hazardous Waste. Delaware is authorized by the USEPA to administer its own hazardous waste management program. The EPA requires Delaware to maintain a program that is equivalent and no less stringent than the federal program to continue to maintain program delegation and authority. Some of the changes DNREC proposed are already in effect at the federal level.  Additionally, DNREC proposed adopting optional federal regulations and miscellaneous changes to correct errors and add consistency or clarification.  The Order may be reviewed online at: http://www.dnrec.delaware.gov/Info/Documents/Secretarys%20Order%202008-A-0056.pdf. For more information, please contact Bill Davis or Karen J’Anthony at (302) 739-9403.

Upcoming Air and Waste-Related Hearings, Meetings & Events

December 3 – Public Hearing on Proposed Amendment to Regulation 1138, Emission Standards for Hazardous Air Pollutants for Source Categories will be held at 6:00 PM at the DNREC Air Quality Management Section Office at the 715 Grantham Lane in New Castle.  This public hearing provides the Department, the regulated community and the public an opportunity to comment and provide information on the proposed addition of regulatory requirements applicable to hospital ethylene oxide sterilizers into Regulation 1138. The proposed amendment and related information may be inspected at the Department’s offices located at 156 S. State Street, Dover and 715 Grantham Lane, New Castle or viewed on the Department’s web site at: http://www.awm.delaware.gov/Info/Regs/Pages/ETOSterilizer.aspx. For additional information, please contact Jim Snead in New Castle at (302) 323-4542 or visit: http://www.delaware.gov/egov/calendar.nsf/Meetings/25C9351ABFC6D3C385257500006361EE?open.

Dec. 8 – Funding Workshops for Community Environmental Projects – DNREC’s Community Involvement Advisory Council (CIAC) will hold two free public workshops on funding opportunities for environmental projects that will benefit communities. Environmental projects that meet funding criteria include those that address pollution, enhance natural resources, improve environmental conditions or provide environmental benefits to a community. Information will be presented on three grant opportunities for 2009 – the Community Environmental Project Fund (CEPF) and two new pilot programs – the Collaborative Problem-Solving Small Grant and the Technical Assistance Small Grant. Eligible applicants include Delaware civic and community organizations; non-profit entities; educational institutions; counties; municipal governments; state agencies; and quasi-state agencies representing communities where environmental violations have occurred. The workshops will be held as follows:

• 7-8:30 PM on Monday, Dec. 8 at the DNREC Auditorium, 89 Kings Highway, in Dover; and
• 7-8:30 PM on Tuesday, Dec. 9, also at the DNREC Auditorium, 89 Kings Highway, in Dover.

For more information, please contact Vicki Ward at 302-739-9000 or Vicki.Ward@state.de.us to pre-register, or for directions to a workshop. The CIAC will accept applications for funding until 4:30 PM, January 5, 2009.  For an application form and more information on requirements, please visit www.dnrec.delaware.gov/CIAC or call Vicki at 302-739-9000.

December Meeting for the Delaware State Emergency Response Commission (SERC) and Hazardous Chemical Inventory (Tier ll) Workshops – Each of the three counties (New Castle, Kent and Sussex) and the City of Wilmington have been identified as emergency planning districts. The SERC appoints Local Emergency Planning Committee (LEPC) for each district. Each LEPC has specific duties to fulfill, and the SERC supervises and coordinates those activities.  The SERC also receives various reports from businesses that use or store hazardous chemicals, or that experience an emergency release of a hazardous substance, and must establish procedures for receiving and processing requests for information from the public. The December SERC meeting will be held as follows: 

• December 10 – SERC will meet at 9 AM at the Delaware State Fire School, 1461 Chestnut Grove Road in Dover. For more information, please visit: http://www.serc.delaware.gov/meetings.shtml.

Following are the dates, times and locations for the Tier II Workshops:

• December 10 – New Castle County: DNREC Lukens Drive Office – 9 to 11 AM
• December 9 – Kent County: Del. Tech., Terry Campus, Dover – 12:30 to 2:30 PM
• December 11 – Sussex County: Sussex Counties EOC, Georgetown – 9 to 11 AM
• December 17 – Make up Session:  Del. Tech., Terry Campus, Dover – 9 to 11 AM

Please reserve a spot for the Hazardous Chemical Inventory (Tier ll) workshops, as seating is limited. For more information, please call Shannon Splittorff at (302) 739-9405.

December 17 – Recycling Public Advisory Council (RPAC) Meeting will be held at 1:30 PM at the New Castle County Bear Library, 101 Governor's Place in
Bear. RPAC meets monthly to discuss recycling matters in Delaware. For more information on RPAC, please contact Bill Miller at (302) 739-9403 or visit: http://www.awm.delaware.gov/Info/Pages/RPAC.aspx and http://www.delaware.gov/eGov/Calendar.nsf/Meetings/1905056F3C3EDB22852574F80073084E?open.

Documents Available for Public Comment or Appeal

The Division’s Brownfields Development Program encourages the cleanup and redevelopment of vacant, abandoned or underutilized properties which may be contaminated. A party seeking to develop such a property negotiates with the Division's Site Investigation and Restoration Branch (SIRB) for a Brownfields Development Agreement (BDA) or a Brownfields Voluntary Cleanup Program (VCP) Agreement to perform an investigation and, if necessary, a remedial action or remedy, for the purpose of addressing the risks posed by past releases of hazardous substances at these sites. A BDA is only available to parties that are not current site owners. The Brownfields VCP Agreement is available to Brownfields site owners, who, although not contributors to the contamination, may already be liable as a potentially responsible party for the site. The VCP Agreement provides a mechanism to remediate contamination while developing the Brownfields site, and receive liability protection for past releases of hazardous substances at the site. For site-specific information on the following sites, please see SIRB’s superfund site files database at: http://docs.dnrec.delaware.gov/sirbsitefiles.cfm. 

NOTIFICATION OF NEGOTIATIONS FOR BROWNFIELDS DEVELOPMENT AGREEMENTS  SIRB is negotiating a Brownfields Development Agreements with:

• Diamond Materials, LLC regarding the Domino Auto Salvage Property located at 819 S. Walnut Street in Wilmington. The site may have had a release of hazardous substances as a result of past use as a salvage yard. For more information, please contact Wilmer Reyes at (302) 395-2600, or visit: http://www.dnrec.delaware.gov/Lists/Public%20Notices/DispForm.aspx?ID=219&Source=http%3A%2F%2Fwww%2Ednrec%2Edelaware%2Egov%2FLists%2FPublic%2520Notices%2FAllItems%2Easpx.  
• Richards Paving, Inc. for the 2440 Red Lion Road Property located at 2440 Red Lion Road in Kirkwood. The site may have had a release of hazardous substances as a result of past use as a gas station. An Environmental Site Assessment indicated elevated levels of total petroleum hydrocarbons. For more information, please contact Babatunde Asere at (302) 395-2600, or visit: http://www.dnrec.delaware.gov/Lists/Public%20Notices/DispForm.aspx?ID=220&Source=http%3A%2F%2Fwww%2Ednrec%2Edelaware%2Egov%2FLists%2FPublic%2520Notices%2FAllItems%2Easpx.
• Habitat for Humanity of New Castle County for the A and Townsend Street Property located between 1017, 1019 and 1021 A Street (a/k/a 339 Townsend Street) and 333, 335 and 337 Townsend Street in Wilmington. The site may have had a release of hazardous substances as a result of its past use as an auto body repair shop and proximity to the Diamond Oil Site (see above). For more information, please contact Stephen Johnson at (302) 395-2600, or visit: http://www.dnrec.delaware.gov/Lists/Public%20Notices/DispForm.aspx?ID=221&Source=http%3A%2F%2Fwww%2Ednrec%2Edelaware%2Egov%2FLists%2FPublic%2520Notices%2FAllItems%2Easpx.
• Reybold Venture Group XXXI, LLC regarding the 222 Maryland Avenue Property located at the same address in Wilmington. The site is approximately 0.05 acres in size. Due to the close proximity of several contaminated sites, such as 200/206 Maryland Avenue (DE-1217) and Wilmington Spill Site (DE-1111), the site may have had a release of hazardous substances. For more information, please contact Todd Keyser at (302) 395-2600, or visit: http://www.dnrec.delaware.gov/Lists/Public%20Notices/DispForm.aspx?ID=222&Source=http%3A%2F%2Fwww%2Ednrec%2Edelaware%2Egov%2FLists%2FPublic%2520Notices%2FAllItems%2Easpx.
• Dover Interfaith Mission for Housing for the 680 Forest Street Property located at 680 Forest Street in Dover. The site may have had a release of hazardous substances from its former use as a foundry and machine shop, and its proximity to the Chesapeake Supply Site (DE 1334), Dover Ice House (DE-1110) and Former Capitol Scrap Site (DE 1171). For more information, please contact Rick Galloway at (302) 395-2600, or visit: http://www.dnrec.delaware.gov/Lists/Public%20Notices/DispForm.aspx?ID=223&Source=http%3A%2F%2Fwww%2Ednrec%2Edelaware%2Egov%2FLists%2FPublic%2520Notices%2FAllItems%2Easpx.
• 533 Associates, LLC regarding the 4001 New Castle Avenue Property located at 4001 New Castle Avenue in New Castle. The site is approximately 0.6 acres in size.  A Phase I Environmental Site Assessment in May 2008 identified the site as an inactive Leaking Underground Storage Tank site that may have had a release of hazardous substances from past and current use, including present use as an auto repair facility equipped with hydraulic lifts. For more information, please contact Kristen Thornton at (302) 395-2600, or visit: http://www.dnrec.delaware.gov/Lists/Public%20Notices/DispForm.aspx?ID=228&Source=http%3A%2F%2Fwww%2Ednrec%2Edelaware%2Egov%2FLists%2FPublic%2520Notices%2FAllItems%2Easpx%3Fbcsi%5Fscan%5F78A7A68954E71BEE%3DNJVqi%2FiNyWpB5%2FBXa2SYWwIAAAB1kdcE%26bcsi%5Fscan%5Ffilename%3DAllItems%2Easpx.

NOTIFICATION OF PUBLIC COMMENT PERIOD REGARDING THE SIGNING OF BROWNFIELDS VCP AGREEMENTS

SIRB entered into a Brownfield VCP Agreement with:

• Sacred Heart Housing, Inc. regarding the Ministry Row Property, located at 625 E. 10th Street in Wilmington. As a result of the past use of the site including historic fill and asbestos, several Environmental Phase I Assessments have been performed, which indicate there may have been release of hazardous substances for which a remedy will be required.  The public comment period for this Brownfields VCP Agreement began on November 24, 2008 and will close at the end of the business day (4:30 PM) on December 15, 2008. For more information about this site, please contact Kate Durant at (302) 395-2600, or visit: http://www.dnrec.delaware.gov/Lists/Public%20Notices/DispForm.aspx?ID=218&Source=http%3A%2F%2Fwww%2Ednrec%2Edelaware%2Egov%2FLists%2FPublic%2520Notices%2FAllItems%2Easpx.

TITLE V MODIFICATION PERMIT APPLICATION FOR HIRSH INDUSTRIES IN DOVER  Notice has been given that the facility listed below has applied for a Title V Modification permit. The application may be reviewed at the office of the Division of Air and Waste Management, 156 S. State Street, Dover, Delaware, or 715 Grantham Lane, New Castle, Delaware. For additional information, or for an appointment to review the application, please contact Joanna Austin at the Dover Office at (302) 739-9402.  A public hearing concerning the permitting action will not be held unless the Secretary of DNREC receives a request for such hearing by December 9, 2008:

• Hirsh Industries, having a facility at 1525 McKee Road, Dover, has submitted a request for a significant permit modification pursuant to Regulation No. 30, Section 7. Based on the data and certifications contained in the application, the Air Quality Management Section concludes that the applicant meets all applicable requirements promulgated by the Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) and the Department of Natural Resources and Environmental Control (DNREC). Therefore a “draft/proposed” significant permit modification has been prepared. This “draft/proposed” significant permit modification incorporates all applicable requirements for the Controlled Pyrolysis Furnace into the Title V permit. The “draft/proposed” significant permit modification is being submitted to EPA for concurrent processing.  If there are no significant comments, the “draft/proposed” permit modification will be issued as a final permit after expiration of the EPA review period.  For additional information, please visit: http://www.dnrec.delaware.gov/Lists/Public%20Notices/DispForm.aspx?ID=204&Source=http%3A%2F%2Fwww%2Ednrec%2Edelaware%2Egov%2FPages%2Fdefault%2Easpx.

TITLE V RENEWAL PERMIT APPLICATIONS  Notice has been given that the facilities listed below have applied for a Title V renewal permits. The applications may be reviewed at the office of the Division of Air and Waste Management, 156 S. State Street, Dover, Delaware, or 715 Grantham Lane, New Castle, Delaware. For additional information, or for an appointment to review the application, please contact Joanna Austin at the Dover Office at (302) 739-9402.  A public hearing concerning the following permitting action will not be held unless the Secretary of DNREC receives a request for such hearing by December 18, 2008:

• Mountaire Farms of Delaware, Inc., having a facility at 29106 John J. Williams Hwy. in Millsboro, has submitted a request for a permit renewal pursuant to Regulation No. 30, Section 7 for their operating permit. Based on the data and certifications contained in the application, the Air Quality Management Section concludes that the applicant meets all applicable requirements promulgated by the USEPA and DNREC. Therefore a “draft/proposed” permit renewal has been prepared. This “draft/proposed” permit renewal replaces a No. 2 fuel oil fired grain dryer with a propane fired grain dryer (Dryer 2) and removes a Hatchery generator. The permit has been updated to the latest Title V model format. The “draft/proposed” permit renewal is being submitted to EPA period for concurrent processing. If there are no significant comments, the “draft/proposed” permit renewal will be issued as a final permit after expiration of the EPA review period.  For additional information, please visit: http://www.dnrec.delaware.gov/Lists/Public%20Notices/DispForm.aspx?ID=211&Source=http%3A%2F%2Fwww%2Ednrec%2Edelaware%2Egov%2FLists%2FPublic%2520Notices%2FAllItems%2Easpx.

A public hearing concerning the following permitting action will not be held unless the Secretary of DNREC receives a request for such hearing by December 22, 2008:

• Camdel Metals Corporation, having a facility at 124 Vepco Boulevard, Camden, Delaware, has submitted a request for a permit renewal for their operating permit pursuant to Regulation No. 30, Section 7. Based on the data and certifications contained in the application, the Air Quality Management Section concludes that the applicant meets all applicable requirements promulgated by the USEPA and DNREC. Therefore a “draft/proposed” permit renewal has been prepared. This “draft/proposed” permit renewal permits the operation of a halogenated solvent cleaning system.  The “draft/proposed” permit renewal is being submitted to EPA for concurrent processing. If there are no significant comments, the “draft/proposed” permit renewal will be issued as a final permit after expiration of the EPA review period. For additional information, please visit: http://www.dnrec.delaware.gov/Lists/Public%20Notices/DispForm.aspx?ID=216&Source=http%3A%2F%2Fwww%2Ednrec%2Edelaware%2Egov%2FLists%2FPublic%2520Notices%2FAllItems%2Easpx.

 Employee News

Many kudos to Tom Lilly of the Division’s Air Quality Management (AQM) section, who conducted the final inspection of the Indian River Power Plant’s Activated Carbon Injection systems that were installed on all four units at Indian River. DNREC granted permission to begin full system operations. David Bacher of NRG Energy, Inc. indicated that the facility is proud of this accomplishment that will reduce mercury emissions in Delaware and proud of the hard work and efforts by the Indian River Project Team and those from DNREC who have been involved in the project.

Please join us in welcoming the following new employees and congratulating those with new promotions within the Division:

·         Greg DeCowsky, promoted 11/23 to Environmental Scientist IV in SIRB via career ladder;

·         Dawn Minor, promoted 11/23 to Paralegal III in AQM via hire process;

·         Everett DeWhitt, promoted 11/23 to Engineer IV in AWM via hire process;

·         Nicole D. Hill (yes, a second Nicole Hill!), hired 11/24 – Administrative Specialist I in AQM Administrator’s Office;

·         Laura Russum, hired 11/24 – Administrative Specialist II in AQM Administrator’s Office;

·         Erin McEnaney, hired 11/24 – Environmental Scientist I in Tank Management Branch (TMB);

·         Jason Turner, hired 11/24 – Environmental Scientist I in TMB;

·         Chuck Sarnoski, hired 11/24 – Environmental Scientist III in AQM-Air Surveillance;

·         Tim Griesa, hired 12/1 – Sr. Env. Compl. Spec. in AQM-Planning; and

·         Gerald Mood, hired 12/8 – Environmental Scientist ES III in AQM-Planning.

Also, please join us in congratulating the following employees with November and December anniversaries with DNREC:

Contact the Division

• 24-Hour Report and Spill Notification Line - 1-800-662-8802
• Aboveground Storage Tanks - 302-395-2500
• Air Quality - Dover Office - 302-739-9402
• Air Quality - New Castle Office - 302-323-4542
• Asbestos New Castle - 302-323-4542
• Asbestos Kent & Sussex - 302-739-9402
• Boiler Safety - 302-672-7653
• Brownfields - 302-395-2600
• Director’s Office - 302-739-9400
• Emergency Prevention and Response - 302-739-9404
• Environmental Crimes Unit - 302-739-9401 or 1-800-662-8802
• Hazardous Waste - 302-739-9403
• Medical Waste - 302-739-9403
• Open Burning - 302-739-9402
• Outreach Ombudsman - 302-395-2515
• Recycling - 302-739-9403
• Site Investigation & Restoration Branch (Superfund/Brownfields) - 302-395-2600
• Solid Waste - 302-739-9403
• Underground Storage Tanks - 302-395-2500