PRESS ROOM

STATEMENT BY SPSA’S EXECUTIVE DIRECTOR ON NOTICES OF VIOLATION FROM THE VIRGINIA DEPARTMENT OF ENVIRONMENTAL QUALITY

(CHESAPEAKE, VA, November 3, 2006) – SPSA has received two Notices of Violation from the Tidewater office of the Virginia Department of Environmental Quality (DEQ) for the incidents which occurred (1) at the Yard Waste Facility regarding odor issues and (2) at the Regional Landfill regarding improper pumping of leachate. A Notice of Violation is a step up in environmental enforcement from a Warning Letter. Both of these incidents are related to the record rainfall that occurred during Tropical Storm Ernesto. We acknowledge that we experienced difficult challenges following that storm event, which can be described as an act of God.
    We also acknowledge the fact that we had difficult challenges at the Yard Waste Facility following Ernesto with the two storm water retention ponds going septic. There has been significant work done to mitigate the resulting odor issues, and we are pleased to report that the ponds are well on their way to being fully restored. Other on-site operations have been adjusted and/or changed to prevent this from happening in the future.
    At the Regional Landfill, we acknowledge that there was an unauthorized discharge and that it was the result of operator error. As previously reported, that employee has been disciplined. Retraining and reeducation have been conducted with all Landfill operations personnel, and we are confident that this will never happen again.
    SPSA prides itself on its environmental performance. You should know that (1) these issues were self-reported to the DEQ by SPSA; and (2) while there was a discharge at the Landfill, the discharge was not contaminated, according to an analysis by an independent, state-certified laboratory.

For additional information, contact Felicia Blow at (757) 420-4700.

        SPSA has been providing efficient and environmentally sound waste disposal services to the region and its residents since 1985. SPSA’s solid waste management system includes waste-to-energy, yard waste composting, drop-off and curbside recycling as well as other recycling programs, household hazardous waste collection, landfilling, landfill gas-to-energy and education programs. This integrated waste management system enables SPSA to put 57% of the waste it receives to a beneficial use, thus allowing the region to reduce its dependence on landfills.