Crescent-News.com - SK Hand Tools in hot water: Chemicals released harm Defiance's wastewater treatment

By TODD HELBERG

cnedit@crescent-news.com

A recent release of chemicals by a local company has caused lingering damage to Defiance's wastewater treatment process.

According to a letter sent Friday to City Hall by Ohio Environmental Protection Agency's Bowling Green office, SK Hand Tools, 135 Hickory St., released chemicals into the city's wastewater collection system on April 23. The letter, penned by Ohio EPA district engineer Allen Rupp, indicated that the release lasted "approximately three hours and turned the influent wastewater to the (city wastewater) plant yellow."

Rupp wrote that city officials contacted Ohio EPA about the matter on April 29 after tracing the chemicals back to SK Hand Tools and telling the company to contain the release. City testing revealed "very high levels of chromium" in wastewater samples, the letter said.

According to the Ohio EPA letter, "the chromium has impacted some of the more sensitive bacteria at the wastewater treatment plant. Due to the loss of this bacteria population, the (plant) has a potential of exceeding permitted ammonia limits until the plant recovers."

Specifically, explained city wastewater superintendent Jeff Stone, the chromium affected the plant's nitrifying bacteria which are important to the wastewater treatment process. Without these, the plant's ammonia levels rise, potentially causing them to exceed those allowed under the city's National Pollutant Discharge Elimination System (NPDES) permit issued by EPA. (The permit sets discharge limits for the plant's treated water that is returned to the Maumee River. In recent years, the permit has tightened ammonia and other limits for wastewater plants.)

In time, the wastetwater plant's bacteria levels will be restored, Stone said, but it may be "longer than a couple weeks."

SK plant manager Jeff Baden said the problem was caused by a tank that overflowed, and acknowledged that it disrupted the city wastewater treatment process. He said the company believed its system had contained the spill before it got to the wastewater plant.

"We thought our waste treatment took care of it," he said.

Baden said Ohio EPA has not been in contact with the company.

Although the Rupp letter referred to "chronic violations that have occurred over the years" at SK, Baden said there has not been a "continuing problem." Other than the April 23 incident, he said the plant may have exceeded limits of its NPDES permit -- which sets limits for its wastewater discharges -- but not by much.

Because the city is responsible for enforcing NPDES permit requirements locally, Rupp's letter also states that City Hall must administer "enforcement tools" mentioned in its "pretreatment program enforcement response plan." And, the city is required to contact Ohio EPA when an unreported release occurs.

The Ohio EPA letter suggested that the city's "enforcement actions related to SK" should include increased sampling of the company's wastewater discharges. One reason, suggested by Rupp's letter, is that during an Ohio EPA inspection of SK, "we observed issues with ... the treatment system, which demonstrated that the company is not providing proper maintenance and operation" of its treatment system.

"We are concerned with the industry's lack of attention to environmental issues and the impact this may have on the community," Rupp states in the letter.

City administrator Jeff Leonard said City Hall will take the rare step of summoning SK officials to a "show cause" hearing "to show us what they are going to do" about the situation.

City officials could fine the company, or even close them down, although they would rather work with SK to ensure that wastewater issues are addressed for the long term.

"We've had some issues out there (SK)," said Leonard. "What we are trying to do is to be flexible and work with the company. But we can't have this interfering with our treatment process."

Rupp's letter to city officials concludes by saying Ohio EPA will be in "close contact" with them "to determine progress the city makes" with SK compliance "and to observe the city's implementation of the enforcement response plan."

Although no specific sanctions are threatened against the city, Rupp concludes the letter by saying "failure to properly implement the approved pretreatment program may be cause for escalated enforcement action by our agency." But Stone said Ohio EPA officials understand that the present problem was "not our fault."

According to the United States Geological Survey, chromium use in "iron, steel, and nonferrous alloys enhances hardenability and resistance to corrosion and oxidation. The use of chromium to produce stainless steel and nonferrous alloys are two of its more important applications."

EPA sources say the chemical has short-term and long-term health risks depending on the exposure level.