Gold Coast Commodoties will have to find somewhere else to send its wastewater after MDEQ permanently shut down the company's Rankin County wastewater treatment facility Thursday. The wastewater lagoon produces Hydrogen Sulfide gas and attracts a "plague-level" amount of flies. It has generated a multitude of complaints from the neighbors. In July, the lagoon produced a cloud of H2S gas that was so strong it sickened neighbors, knocked out employees, and sent some employees to the hospital.
The Brandon company processes used cooking oil and soapstock into animal feed and other products such as biodesel. Sulfuric acid is added to the oil and soapstock. The waste from the process is mixed with a caustic agent (usually NaOH). The waste must be kept at high temperatures or else it can't flow. The wastewater has one other dangerous feature: it is highly acidic with a pH that can be lower than 2. Thus it is very important the wastewater is disposed properly.
This saga began several years ago in Brandon when the city caught Gold Coast dumping highly acidic wastewater into its sewer system in 2014 and sued the company. Gold Coast next shipped the wastewater to Rebel High Velocity Sewer Services in Jackson. Rebel in turn dumped six million gallons of the Gold Coast acid directly into the Jackson sewer system. MDEQ issued a cease and desist order against Rebel for the discharges in October 2017.
The Justice Department is prosecuting the owner of Rebel for the violations. The company also discharged wastewater into the Pelahatchie wastewater treatment facility under an agreement with the town. Running out of local options, the company built a lagoon in Rankin County for the disposal of its wastewater in 2019. However, complaints from the lagoon's neighbors soon began pouring into MDEQ after the facility opened. The agency investigated and found multiple violations.
MDEQ issued a cease & desist order against the operation of the lagoon on September 11. The order gave Gold Coast two weeks to submit a plan to correct the violations. The September 11 order found:
On July 20, 2020, after eight months of disposing wastewater into the unaerated lagoon, Respondent began operation of the aerators at the Rankin County Wastewater Treatment Site, an operation that should have begun at or near the time wastewater was first introduced to the lagoon. Emergency personnel responded to the scene when persons present during the initiation of aerator operation became ill. An investigation revealed that those individuals were exposed to hydrogen sulfide gas coming from the lagoon. Upon information and belief , at least one person was transported to the hospital. At the request of MDEQ, Respondent began monitoring the site and surrounding area for hydrogen sulfide gas. On or about July 21, 2020, the air monitors detected hydrogen sulfide gas at concentrations as high as 58 ppm near the lagoon, which exceeds the 10 minute-Emergency Exposure Guidance Level of 50 ppm. MDEQ has required Respondent to alter its operations to mitigate these occurrences.MDEQ determined Gold Coast had an illegal bypass, applied wastewater during heavy rainfall or when soil was saturated, didn't operate the aerators, repeatedly discharged industrial wastewater into the lagoon when the aerators did not work, and failed to control odors emanating from the site. Neighbors complained of hordes of flies attracted to the lagoon.
MDEQ also received odor complaints and/or MDEQ staff noted strong odors coming from the Rankin County Wastewater Treatment Site on at least eleven occasions in 2020: May 8, June 11, June 18, July 13, July 20, July 31, August 3, August 24, August 26, August 27, and September 8. On August 12, 2020, MDEQ issued a Notice of Violation for violation of the nuisance odor regulation (11 Miss. Admin. Code, Pt. 2, Ch. 4) . In addition, MDEQ has received complaints of an increase in flying insects around the lagoon and surrounding properties. None of the above enforcements have been fully resolved...
Finally, on August 30, 2020, the Mississippi Emergency Management Agency notified MDEQ that Respondent had released approximately 418,000 gallons of wastewater from the Rankin County Wastewater Treatment Site. This release traveled onto neighboring properties and into nearby creeks, resulting in a fish kill.
The agency ordered Gold Coast to immediately stop sending its wastewater to the Rankin County site until MDEQ gives it permission to do so.
Gold Coast submitted a plan on September 18 and added a fifth aerator. The company's consultant assured MDEQ everything would soon be fine:
September 18, Sam Hardin of Clearwater Consultants, on behalf of Respondent, stated that "[r]ecent reports from nearby residents indicate the odor has already been substantially mitigated." On September 22, Sam Hardin reported that the five aerators had been in continuous operation since September 18 and that "[o]dors have been drastically mitigated." Respondent's Operations Plan to control vectors included spraying an insecticide at the Site. On September 22, Sam Hardin stated that the insecticide had been applied once already, would be applied again on September 24, and that "[m]ajor improvements have also been observed regarding the presence of vectors due to application of insecticide."MDEQ said "not no fast, my friend." Inspectors reported Gold Coast didn't fix anything while it's consultant played games with the agency:
Despite these assertions, MDEQ staff detected nuisance odors and vectors at the locked gate entrance to the lagoon as well as off-site at a neighboring residence on September 23. On September 24, MDEQ provided comments to the Operations Plan and requested a complete response ·to the Order and the comments by September 25. On September 25, Sam Hardin mailed MDEQ with the same assertions as previously provided, specifically that the insecticide provided significant improvement and that the running of five aerators had resulted in a "drastically less potent and offensive" odor.
Since the issuance of Order 7069-20, MDEQ has continued to receive both odor and vector complaints from citizens. In addition, on September 28, MDEQ staff conducted an inspection of the Site. Staff noted that directly downwind of the lagoon "odor was very prominent, nuisance level." Staff also noted that "there was a plague-like level of flies." According to staff, the odor and vectors (flies) continued and "were very noticeable" from the lagoon to Dry Creek which is a distance of approximately 2,190 feet. Staff also drove around the lagoon on public roads and reported nuisance level odors as far as 5,000 feet downwind of the lagoon.
Director Chris Wells pulled no punches in ordering Gold Coast to shut down the facility:
The Executive Director further finds Respondent has demonstrated an apparent inability or lack of willingness to comply with its Permit, as well as applicable laws and regulations, and the inability or lack of willingness to operate properly the permitted facility.The agency ordered Gold Coast to "remove and dispose of all wastewater at the lagoon" by the end of November. The company must submit a removal and disposal plan by October 11. However, MDEQ did not stop with closing the lagoon. Gold Coast must also obtain MDEQ permission to dispose of wastewater anywhere in Mississippi.
MDEQ reserved the right to fine the company. The agency referred Gold Coast to the EPA for criminal prosecution after issuing the 2017 cease & desist order. The federal government is investigating Gold Coast and its various violations.
Kingfish note: It will not be a surprise if Gold Coast runs to chancery court.
Oh, and has anyone wondered where the media is on this story?
Related posts
Company's lagoon produced hydrogen sulfide gas cloud, knocked out workers.
Digging through the weeds.
Brandon sued Gold Coast for dumping highly acidic wastewater into its sewer system.
MDEQ: Rankin Company sickened neighbors, dumped acidic wastewater into Jackson sewer system.
19 comments:
close barn door after horse escapes-
Sorry Kingfish. All the hands at MT are too busy right now carrying Mike Espy's water.
Just wait til Jackson starts sending its waste water back over the river for Rankin to treat. MDEQ is already pondering how it can force the issue. New plant in Rankin...check. Transmission infrastructure in place?....check
This is why we need to get rid of regulations! No bureaucrat should be able to tell a job creating free enterprise how to run its business!
Sure wish we could see perp walks and mug shots of the owners, but that's reserved for the little people. When did we decide these kind of issues weren't crimes worthy of arrest?
They could just put in some sugar and flavoring and call it the JellyStone swimming pool. It looks to have the consistency of jelly.
Was this designed by a Russian mobster? And, how do you just go ahead and build something like this in a small town and ........... never mind. They've apparently been doing this for 30 years in Rankin's original town, with decades of complaints and getting away with it. Answered my own question.
Rankin County- where the BOS, in violation of its OWN ordinances, permits a FIREWORKS stand, on Old Fannin, NEXT to a day care, BUT it gets better.....
Since that clear cut violation of safety (oh, who cares about toddlers), the BOS has CONTINUED to ignore the rules. FIRST, there was a gas station across the street. Now, the FireWorks stand is AT a gas station.
That's right, Rankin County allows a Fireworks stand surrounded by a daycare, McDonalds, and, not one, but TWO gas stations. In violation of its own codes.
But, hey, what could happen, right??? Same thing as this kind of effin obscenity.
Rankin County Supervisors are morons who let ANYTHING pass, even toxic waste dumps. But, but, FreeDumb. Mah bidness is "over regulated...."
10:38, hey Karen!
I also believe that fireworks stand has been there way before any of the gat stations were. Maybe, just maybe they are grandfathered.
Get used to it. This will be the norm the way this country is going.
11:01, Cletus, uhhh, I know you're a fool, but the Daycare, you know where the little kids playground is next to the fireworks stand, was "there first." And, that required a waiver then. I love your "I wuz there first" posts, disregarding all zoning and regulatory logic of any kind. Novel legal defense, I'm sure.
But, sure, permitting a fireworks stand next to a daycare, that makes perfect sense. And, then, let's add a gas station, or, two.
Heck, ah like mah children to be able to shoot fireworks at the gas station when they're pickin' me up some PBR! FreeDumb!!
10:38 & 11:01, you must have kids at that daycare. I never knew there was a day care there honestly. If you've got that kind of legal precedence, you could file suit. Based upon your knowledge and information, there is no doubt you have the keys to make a slam dunk case. I know complaining on the internet is way more useful than actually taking action, but I digress.
Now back on track talking about Gold Coast & The Douglas's.
Isn’t the fireworks stand and McDonald’s and everything on PRV land? The BOS can’t do anything about it. The PRV rules supreme on their own domain... at least that was how it was explained to me when the PRV voted to allow liquor stores next to a fireworks stand and 2 gas stations and a macdonalds and a hardware store and a storage facility and a car wash and oh my....
The fireworks stand, gas stations, and daycare are on the far side of Spillway road, and under Rankin County, not PRVWSD.
The reservoir overlay might have co jurisdiction.
But the PRVWSD only owns the lands inside of Spillway (except their land below the actual spillway, but that ends before the old Rapids, which is private property), Northshore, Harbour Drive, etc.
That being said, they BOTH will allow anything, and the PRVWSD will allow it for any revenue they can squeeze out, since the Rez landholders pay ALL the taxes.
"Sure wish we could see perp walks and mug shots of the owners, but that's reserved for the little people. When did we decide these kind of issues weren't crimes worthy of arrest?"
State law made MDEQ a regulatory agency, not a law enforcement agency. While it can assess fines, issue and revoke permits, etc., it doesn't do criminal charges, arrests, or the like. (I'm pretty sure we don't want additional police agencies.) That's why some cases are referred to the EPA, which does have a criminal division (with a LOT more resources) which can pursue criminal charges if the violation in question also violates federal criminal law.
12:44, using absolutes isn't a good look. You say "they BOTH will allow anything". Fact is they won't allow "anything". They didn't allow the One Guy Chicken & Steak food truck to operate on private property on Old Fannin. So, you are wrong. You should take this to court and win big with your knowledge.
Now where am i suppose to desolve my victims?
I knew damned well if we kept posting enough regarding DEQ's duplicity, they'd bow up and take action. Bout damned time. This agency must be run by Sigman.
I wish there were UHD footage of the "apocalyptic" swarms of flies. I'm fascinated by Starling murmurations and I imagine those flies would do the same. And like the static of an analog TV, what images might the flies form?
That place can smell like unwiped fish a$$. It's the type of smell that crawls onto you and won't let go clinging like Eddie Murphy's red leather britches in his Raw show.
You are right 10:33. Who cares about poisoning MS waters as long as Gold Coast is making money!!!
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