Indiana Department of Environmental Management has conducted inspections on a restricted waste site in Warsaw since March 2008 that continues to have erosion issues.
The waste site is used by Dalton Foundry and is at CR 250S and Ind. 25. The most recent inspection conducted by IDEM on the waste site was April 22.
Dalton Corp. was contacted by the Times-Union on the issue, but declined to comment.
"We were advised by our parent company not to comment based on our normal policy and because these are currently open issues at IDEM," said Steve Shaffer, Dalton Foundry public affairs director.IDEM initiated a formal enforcement case involving Dalton Corp. to address concerns including the potential for leachate and storm water run-off from the facility's restricted waste landfill, according to Amy Hartsock, IDEM public information officer.
Hartsock said, through the formal enforcement process, IDEM is working closely with Dalton to ensure necessary measures are in place for long-term compliance with water quality and solid waste regulations relating to the landfill's operation.
"Dalton has been extremely responsive and its representatives have been working closely with IDEM enforcement staff to resolve concerns noted by our inspection staff," Hartsock said.
She said Dalton's response has included the submittal of erosion control and repair plans, which IDEM staff are working together to address possible monitoring requirements for storm water. The object is to ensure that effective control measures are in place to prevent the potential for storm water to carry contaminates off site.
She said IDEM firmly believes an agreement can be reached about all the appropriate measures necessary for ensuring long-term compliance for the operation and maintenance of the site.
The April IDEM report states Dalton was pumping leachate from a cell into five frank tanks for temporary storage. The waste is then transferred into tanker trucks for off-site disposal through Action Environmental. Dalton facility representatives indicated in the report that they are shipping two tankers a day - approximately 10,500 gallons.
The report also states the facility still has some serious erosion issues and they have not adequately implemented the required erosion and sedimentation control measures. The new sedimentation basin on the northeast side of the site had what appeared to be a leachate weep that was contacting the water and would eventually discharge into Sickle Lake, near Burket.
The report also states the repairs made to the north side of the landfill were inadequate and they would still need to comply with the June 1 deadline for repairing the area and submitting quality assurance documentation certified by an Indiana registered professional engineer.
The IDEM inspector in the report said, while investigating the area, he observed a substantial amount of leachate built up in the cell and the current pumping rate area did not appear to be adequate in keeping up with the amount of leachate being generated.
The report also stated, to the north of the retaining wall, there were two pipes discharging into the ditch that lead to the wetlands near Boggs Ditch.
A letter dated July 18, 2008, from the Indiana Department of Environmental Management was mailed to Michael Schall, Dalton Corp. manager of environmental engineering.
The letter states on March 13 and June 17, 2008, representatives from IDEM office of land quality conducted an inspection of the Dalton Corp. restricted waste site.
There were seven inspections completed by IDEM from March 13 to April 22 on the drainage ditch.
The letter states violations were observed and were referred to the Office of Enforcement.
The letter states Dalton caused and allowed the discharge of pollutants into the waters violating the Clean Water Act and the rules adopted by the Water Pollution Control Board.
Leachate has been discharged through a drainage ditch into Boggs Ditch and contaminated runoff sidecharged through a pipe under Ind. 15, according to the report. Additionally, there was surface water and waste observed leaving the property to the south along an on-site road.
On June 24, 2004, the facility submitted a letter to IDEM that stated Dalton has no discharge of stormwater associated with industrial activities and that stormwater enters Boggs ditch via sheet flow.
The letter stated the restricted waste site must have daily cover and Dalton must submit a plan to control dispersal. The report states the facility did not maintain the covered portions of the facility and did not properly grade the filled areas to promote surface water drainage.
The report also states the facility did not properly control or manage the leachate to prevent off-site migration. The leachate collection sump installed in the northeast corner was not being used to control leachate.
A notice of violation was sent Sept. 29, 2008, to Dalton Corp President Joseph L. Derita that stated, based on an investigation including inspections on March 13 and Aug. 19, 2008, IDEM has reason to believe Dalton Corp. has violated environmental statutes, rules and its solid waste facility permit.
The report states foundry wastes and/or solid wastes were observed on the north, south and west sides of the ditch entering and/or having the potential to enter the ditch and waste from the pouring operation.
On Sept. 11, 2008, IDEM office of land quality conducted an inspection of the site.
The IDEM inspector wrote in a report that the dam receiving runoff has been repaired. There was visual evidence of waste in the channel of the ditch leading north to Ind. 25. South of the dam there was visible evidence of erosion, ponding water and exposed waste. The drainage ditch located on the northeast side near the leachate sump was blocked by the clay berm and three dams were installed in the channel.
Leachate collected was being pumped into a tanker and disposed of on the uncovered portions. The facility was advised that they did not have approval for leachate re-circulation and that they needed to collect the leachate for proper disposal.
The cover on the east side was still severely eroded with the exception of the repairs made to the large gully documented during previous inspection. The repairs to the area only include filling in the erosion cut with rip rap and no repairs were made to the liner below the exposed waste.
The report states the facility has made progress in applying cover to the areas of exposed waste and has minimized the size of the working face. However, water is not being completely diverted from the working face allowing surface water to erode the covered areas resulting in exposed water and waste migrating into the bottom of the fill area.
The report's conclusion states that the facility has repaired the drainage ditches to minimize the leachate from leaving the property, however, they are collecting the leachate and applying it to the uncovered portions without approval.
A major portion of the site has been graded and received immediate cover, but there are still some erosion problems and exposed waste that need to be addressed.
For the complete reports, visit www.idem.gov and click on virtual cabinet.
