The Alabama Department of Environmental Management (ADEM), Montgomery, on March 10 issued a cease and desist order to Denali Water Solutions LLC, Russellville, Ark., a provider of waste conversion services, barring the company from resuming the application of poultry byproduct materials to land in north Jefferson County, north of Birmingham, for use as fertilizer. The ongoing ADEM investigation found the land application operations violated multiple regulations.
The order comes after ADEM requested that Denali cease operations on March 5 while it investigated complaints from residents about noxious smells and other environmental concerns from the operations, which included possible runoff into streams.
ADEM determined that Denali did not submit to ADEM an Operations Plan and a Nutrient Management Plan for the site prior to the beginning of operations as required by state rules. In addition, ADEM noted the company did not employ best practices in the handling of the byproduct material to minimize odor and protect human health and the environment.
Based on information received by ADEM, the method used by Denali was to spray the byproduct materials on the land surface, “which allowed odors associated with this material to be dispersed into the surrounding atmosphere unabated.” That method was in contradiction to the company’s plans, which stated “the residuals will be spliced into the ground at a depth of 6-12 inches.” ADEM found no evidence that any of the poultry byproducts contaminated nearby streams.
The order means Denali shall cease applying the material to the land until the company has approval from ADEM of a corrective plan that addresses the violations. The order is a preliminary enforcement action while ADEM continues its investigation and does not include penalties. ADEM pointed out that the enforcement action against Denali is a direct result of the Alabama Environmental Management Commission’s adoption last year of new regulations that now address the use of biosolids for fertilizer or other use.
Denali distributes such wastes at numerous locations throughout Alabama, mostly in the northern part of the state, according to AL.com, citing ADEM records that included a warning letter and two notices of violations for its sludge operations in Marshall, Lawrence and Colbert Counties.
Denali had not responded to inquiries at press time.