The board of the Seneca County General Health District has approved Sunny Farms Landfill’s 2020 operator license.
At a meeting Thursday night the board voted unanimously to approve the landfill’s license, but their approval comes with several conditions which include additional odor monitoring and reporting, and additional sulfur dioxide reporting.
In August, the landfill in Fostoria was finally granted its 2019 license after making improvements, paying fines and coming to a consent agreement with the Ohio Environmental Protection Agency.
Recently the landfill has come under scrutiny again for reportedly exceeding safe limits in the release of sulfur dioxide into the air.
LICENSE CONDITIONS
1. ADDITIONAL ODOR MONITORING AND REPORTING
Within 60 Days of the effective date of the 2020 License, Sunny Farms Landfill LLC (Sunny Farms) shall submit to SCGHD for review, comment and approval a plan to develop and implement a supplemental odor monitoring and reporting system for hydrogen sulfide (H2S) consisting of the following:
a. Installation of two (2) additional permanent Jerome meters within 90 days of SCGHD approval. The Jerome meters shall be calibrated and maintained in accordance with manufacturer’s specifications. The Jerome meters shall be programmed to record H2S readings every 10 minutes, 24 hours a day, 7 days a week.
b. The Jerome meters will be sited at locations identified by Sunny Farms and approved by the Board with one on the east side of the Facility along or south of County Road 108 and one on the west side of the Facility along or south of County Road 108.
c. After the date of installation of the Jerome meters installed pursuant to Paragraph 1, Sunny Farms shall establish an internet portal by which SCGHD staff can access electronic real-time data and all historical data available for the meters.
d. Sunny Farms shall submit to SCGHD a monthly report (by the 5th business day of the succeeding month) that provides, at a minimum, the date, time, location, and amount of H2S detected for each Jerome meter reading during the preceding month.
e. With respect to the Jerome meters installed pursuant to Paragraph 1, Sunny Farms shall follow the operation, maintenance and reporting frequency requirements applicable under Section V. Paragraph 16.A. of the Partial Consent Order and Final Judgment Entry, entered on July 26, 2019 by the Seneca County Court of Common Pleas, Case No. 19-CV-0224 (the Consent Order).
2. ADDITIONAL SULFUR DIOXIDE REPORTING
a. Sunny Farms shall provide SCGHD with a copy of the air dispersion modeling report submitted to Ohio EPA that demonstrates no sulfur dioxide (SO2) concentrations exceeding SO2 national ambient air quality standards at off-site residential receptors in the vicinity of the Sunny Farms Landfill.
b. Sunny Farms shall provide SCGHD with the monthly report (submitted by the 20th day of the month for the prior month) demonstrating compliance with the SO2 interim emission limit in accordance with the requirements of the Consent Order.
c. Sunny Farms shall formally request that Ohio EPA provide SCGHD all data from the SO2 monitor to be installed pursuant to Section V. Paragraph 15.A.j. of the Consent Order.
3. ADDITIONAL COMPLIANCE REPORTING
a. Sunny Farms shall comply with the Consent Order and provide SCGHD with copies of all submittals required by the Consent Order.
b. Sunny Farms shall provide SCGHD with a monthly report by the 20th business day of the month (for the previous month) documenting Sunny Farms’ compliance with the requirements of Section V. of the Consent Order.
c. Sunny Farms shall meet monthly with staff for the SCGHD and their consultant to review compliance with the Consent Order and responses and investigations regarding odor complaints.