Ohio scrap yard settles with EPA on violations

Ocanna, Inc. of Akron, Ohio, will pay a total of $86,178 in civil penalties for violating its air pollution control permit and state waste regulations.

At two locations in Akron, the company processed and recycled scrap metal. At the 943 Hazel Street property known as Annaco, Inc., the company also processed automobile engine blocks. The other facility, known as Harry’s Scrap Metals, is located at 888 Hazel Street.

The company collected used oil from the engine blocks and used it to fuel a hot water heater at the Annaco facility. In July 2003, Ohio EPA discovered the company was not properly analyzing the oil for contaminants. Ohio EPA took samples of the oil and had them analyzed at an independent laboratory. Results indicated used oil with metal contaminants above permitted levels was being burned.

The discovery led the Akron Regional Air Quality Management District to cite the company for failing to comply with used oil contaminant content restrictions in its permit, including metal concentrations and heat content value, failing to submit proper reports and failing to test the used oils with proper testing methods.

The company has applied to modify its permit to revise metal content limitations and related monitoring, record-keeping and reporting requirements.

Hazardous waste violations stemmed from the used oil storage, ash from the burned oil and dust from the pollution control equipment at the Annaco facility, and metal and plastic debris from the metal recycling operations.

The company had disposed of metal and plastic fragments, ash and other debris from the recycling operations at Harry’s Recycling facility. In addition, excavated soil containing debris from the Annaco facility was disposed of at Harry’s. These practices violated Ohio solid waste laws, including illegal open dumping, operating a solid waste facility without a permit and operating a landfill without a license.

For the air pollution control violations, the company will pay a $53,000 penalty. The company is paying an $18,000 penalty for the hazardous waste violations and $15,178 for the solid waste violations. Portions of each penalty will be paid to Ohio EPA’s Clean Diesel School Bus Fund.

In addition, the settlement requires the company to excavate and properly dispose of the mound of waste at Harry’s, including any waste that has fallen down the slope leading to the Little Cuyahoga River. After excavation, the waste area must be covered with at least six inches of clean soil, graded, seeded and mulched to form a vegetative cover to protect the river.