Proposed US Ecology Nevada Facility Expansion £EPA United States Environmental Protection Agency April 2016 EPAID#NVT3300100000 • CRA Permit Number NEVHW0025 Facility Description RCRA Hazardous Waste Permit and TSCA Approval Modification US Ecology Nevada (USEN), Inc. The Nevada Division of Environmental Protection (NDEP) and the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) are requesting public comment on the following actions for the US Ecology Nevada, Inc. (USEN) facility located 11 miles south of Beatty, Nevada: (1) NDEP's proposed modification to the Resource Conservation and Recovery Act (RCRA) Permit (RCRA Permit); (2) EPAs proposed modification to the Toxic Substanc- es Control Act (TSCA) Approval (TSCA Approval); and (3) EPA's proposed determination under the National Historic Preservation Act that the modification of the TSCA Approval will have "No Adverse Effect" on historic properties. If approved, the proposed modifications will allow USEN to construct and operate a new 47.3-acre landfill for disposal of RCRA hazardous waste and TSCA polychlorinated biphenyls (PCBs) at the Beatty, Nevada facility. The facility is located on a 480-acre site owned by the State of Nevada. USEN operates a commercial hazar- dous waste treatment, storage and disposal facility under agreement with the State. The facility consists of: • Four Hazardous Waste Landfills - One active iandfiil (Trench 12), two closed landfills (Trenches 10 and 11), and one proposed new landfill (Trench 13) with a design capacity of 8.6 million cubic yards, double liner system, leachate collection, and an evapo- transpiration cover for closure with a performance monitoringsystem. • Four PCB Storage Tanks - Maximum permitted capacity is 25,000 gallons of PCB containing liquids. • Five Container Storage Units - Both iiquids and solids stored for treatment, storage, disposal, or for off-site shipment. Liquid hazardous waste stored in containers are inside secondary containment. The PCB/RCRA Storage Buiiaing is the only unit at the facility permitted for storage of PCBs under the TSCA Approval. • Five Batch Stabilization Tanks - Used to solidify liquids, stabilize metals containing wastes, and neutralize acidic wastes. The tanks are located below ground and are double lined with a leak detection system. Two of the tanks, which are located indoors, are permitted to treat PCB con- taining wastes. (Continued on next page) 7.5' topographic map (Carrara Canyon Quadrangle) Site Location Map, US Ecology Nevada ------- (Continued from page 1) • One Evaporation Tank - Used to treat (evaporate) truck wash rinsate. The Evaporation Tank is located outside, is installed below ground, and is construct- ed of concrete with a high density polyethylene liner and leak detection system, USEN treats, stores, and disposes of many types of hazardous wastes including, but not limited to, solvents, pesticides, chlorinated hydrocarbons, reactives, inorgan- ic acids/bases, metals, remediation wastes and PCBs. These wastes originate from a wide variety of sources including industrial operations and environmental remediation. Any residues or wastes that cannot be disposed or treated onsite must be shipped to an off- site permitted treatment or disposal facility. USEN is required to conduct environmental monitoring. The environmental monitoring system includes ground- water monitoring wells, leachate sumps, and a soil vapor extraction well. Basis for Action RCRA Action NDEP reviewed USEN's modification request (Modifica- tion Request) to construct and operate a new hazard- ous waste landfill and determined the facility can be reasonably operated under the RCRA Permit conditions in accordance with applicable regulations and in a manner protective of public health and the environ- ment. Operation and maintenance requirements in the Draft RCRA Permit also contain provisions for: waste analysis for proper management of hazardous waste; contingency plan and preparedness requirements to prevent and respond to hazardous waste spills or accidents; personnel training requirements; inspection and record-keeping requirements; and unit-specific closure requirements. USEN is also required to con- duct corrective action due to historical releases of hazardous chemicals at the facility. USEN has already initiated corrective action at these sites. In the Draft RCRA Permit, these sites are referred to as Solid Waste Management Units (SWMUs). Trench 12 Landfill (active) Trench 11 Landfill (closed) Trench IB Landfill (proposed) US Ecology Nevada Facility - Aerial Photograph 2 ------- TSCA Action Based upon a review of the Modification Request and supporting documents, EPA concluded the proposed modification of the TSCA Approval for USEN, along with the additional conditions included in the Approval, sat- isfies the requirements of TSCA and 40 C.F.R. Part 761 for disposal of PCB's in a chemical waste landfill. EPA has also concluded that PCB operations at the USEN facility do not pose an unreasonable risk of injury to human health and the environment. In addition to the unit-specific operation and mainte- nance requirements, the Draft TSCA Approval contains provisions for: waste characterization, personnel train- ing, health and safety, emergency preparedness and spill cleanup, general inspection requirements, and financial assurance for closure and post-closure. Procedures for Reaching a Final Decision Provide Comments: Comments may be submitted during the 45-day public comment period beginning on April 27, 2016 and ending on June 10, 2016. Com- ments on the RCRA Permit must be submitted to NDEP. Comments on the TSCA Approval and the NHPA Deter- mination must be submitted to EPA. If you wish both agencies to consider your comments, submit them to both NDEP and EPA. Comments may be submitted in writing via mail or email. Written comments on the proposed modification to the RCRA Permit should be emailed or postmarked on or before June 10, 2016 and sent to: Maureen Godbout, P.E., Staff Engineer, Department of Conservation and Natural Resources, Nevada Division of Environmental Protection, Bureau of Waste Management, 901 South Stewart Street, Suite 4001, Carson City, Nevada 89701-5249. E-mail: mgodbout@ndep.nv.gov Written comments on the proposed modification to the TSCA Approval and the NHPA Determination should be emailed or postmarked on or before June 10, 2016 and sent to: Ronald Leach, P.E., Environmental Engineer, U.S. Environmental Protection Agency, Region 9 (LND-4-2), 75 Hawthorne Street, San Francisco, CA 94105. E-mail: leach.ronald@epa.gov NDEP and EPA will each make a final decision on the proposed Modification Request. When NDEP makes a final decision to either issue or deny the modification to the RCRA permit, notice will be given to USEN and to each person who submitted written comments or requested a notice of the final RCRA permit decision. The final RCRA permit decision shall become effective thirty (30) days after service of notice of the decision unless a later date is specified or an appeal of the NDEP Administrator's decision is brought to the State Environmental Commission (within 10 days after notice of the action of the Department) under NAC445B.890. If no comments request a change in the draft permit, the final permit shall become effective immediately upon issuance, reflecting the conditions in the draft permit. Similarly, notification of EPA's final decision will be given to USEN and to each person who submitted writ- ten comments or requested a notice of the final TSCA decision. EPA will prepare and distribute to the com- menters a final decision document that responds to all comments on the Draft TSCA Approval modification. For More Information Modification to the RCRA Permit www.ndep.nv.gov/admin/public.htm#waste Modification to the TSCA Approval and NHPA Determination: www.epa.gov/region9/pcbs/usecologv/ Each action has an administrative record that contains the documents and information NDEP and EPA consid- ered in proposing to approve the modifications to the RCRA Permit, TSCA Approval, and for developing the NHPA Determination. There is an administrative record for the proposed modification to the RCRA Permit (RCRA AR) and a separate administrative record for the proposed modification to the TSCA Approval (TSCA AR): Review RCRA AR: The administrative record for the proposed modification to the RCRA Permit is available by appointment for public review between the hours of 8:00 a.m. and 5:00 p.m., Monday through Friday at the NDEP Carson City office located at 901S. Stewart Street, Suite 4001, Carson City, Nevada. Please call Maureen Godbout, NDEP, at (775) 687-9482 if you have questions or to make an appointment. A copy of the proposed modifications to the RCRA permit, Modifi- cation Request, and Fact Sheet may also be reviewed 3 ------- at the Beatty Public Library located at 400 North 4th Street, Beatty, Nevada. The proposed modifications to the RCRA Permit (without the Modification Request) is also available at the NDEP offices in Las Vegas, 2030 E. Flamingo Road, Suite 230, Las Vegas, Nevada; (702) 486-2850 (x227). Information is also available on the NDEP website: www.ndep.nv.gov/admin/public.htm#waste Review TSCAAR and NHPA Determination: The administrative record for the proposed modification to the TSCA Approval is available by appointment for public review between the hours of 8:30 a.m. and 5:00 p.m., Monday through Friday, at the EPA office in San Francisco located at 75 Hawthorne Street, San Francisco, California. Please call Ronald Leach, EPA, at (415) 972-3362 if you have questions or to make an appointment. Satellite information repositories containing the most pertinent documents and an index of the administrative record for the TSCA Approv- al are located at the Beatty Library and NDEP offices in Las Vegas. Information is also available on the EPA website: www.epa.gov/region9/pcbs/usecologv/ ------- |