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Emporia Foundry Settles Complaint Alleging Hazardous Waste Violations at Virginia Plant

Release Date: 1/15/2004
Contact Information: Bonnie Smith, 215-814-5543

Bonnie Smith, 215-814-5543

PHILADELPHIA – Emporia Foundry, Inc. has settled a complaint by the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency alleging violations of federal hazardous waste regulations at its plant in Emporia, Va.

Emporia Foundry has agreed to pay a $110,000 settlement and end the on-site treatment and storage of lead-containing baghouse dust. In a related settlement with the Virginia Department of Environmental Quality (VaDEQ), the foundry will pay an additional $54,000 penalty to Virginia. VaDEQ will also review and approve closure plans for the on-site baghouse dust treatment unit and concrete pad where the treated dust was stored.

The foundry is now sending the baghouse dust to an approved disposal facility.

EPA=s complaint alleged violations of the Resource Conservation and Recovery Act (RCRA), which governs the treatment, storage, and disposal of hazardous waste. RCRA is designed to protect public health and the environment, and avoid costly cleanups, by requiring the safe, environmentally sound storage and disposal of hazardous waste.

Emporia is a metal foundry engaging in the production of gray iron castings, such as storm sewer gratings, from scrap iron. The hazardous waste in this case is lead-containing baghouse dust from the foundry=s furnace that was collected and treated as part of Emporia=s pollution control system.

According to EPA, from July through September of 2000, Emporia did not adequately treat the baghouse dust to make it nonhazardous. EPA also alleged that the company improperly stored the treated baghouse dust in a waste pile from July to October, 2000. EPA also cited the company for shipping about 142 tons of this hazardous waste to a non-permitted facility, without preparing required waste manifests. These violations were documented in inspections by EPA and VaDEQ in May, July and September of 2000.

As part of the settlement, the company neither admitted nor denied liability for the cited violations.