Jackson Jambalaya

The Gold Coast Commodities wastewater lagoon in Rankin County produced a strong cloud of Hydrogen Sulfide (H2S) gas in July that sickened neighbors, knocked out employees, and sent some employees to the hospital.

Gold Coast built its own wastewater treatment site in Rankin County and submitted an  application to MDEQ in 2019.  The MDEQ Permit Board issued a permit on August 13, 2019 that allowed Gold Coast to discharge 15,000 gallons per day into an aerated lagoon.   MDEQ found storm water violations in an October 2019 inspection and notified Gold Coast of the violations.  The notices failed to deter the company from breaking even more rules. The order states:

An inspection by MDEQ staff on June 12, 2020 , of the Rankin County Wastewater Treatment Site revealed that Respondent had not installed the electrical lines to the aerators; that Respondent had not installed and was not operating the aerators; and that Respondent had not installed the required depth markers in the lagoon. MDEQ further noted the detection of odors from the lagoon both on- and off-site.

Gold Coast built the lagoon but did not activate the aerators for the first eight months although it discharged water and wastewater into the site.  Without oxygen, anaerobic reactions took place in the mixture, creating a large amount of hydrogen sulfide.  Unfortunately, a minor catastrophe took place when the company finally got around to turning on the aerators on July 20.

The operation of the aerators produced a cloud of hydrogen sulfide gas that rendered several employees unconscious.  Two were transported to the hospital.  There were no air monitoring devices at the site nor were any warning signs posted.

Neighbors of the lagoon called Rankin County EOC to complain of headaches.  EOC and Pelahatchie Fire Department personnel arrived at the site and immediately contacted MDEQ.  MDEQ  quickly sent a team to the lagoon.

The report states H2S is a "colorless gas with a strong odor of rotten eggs... Workers may be harmed from exposure."  There are cases of the gas killing both workers and first responders.  OSHA allows up to 20 ppm for H2S.  An exception is allowed for more than 20 ppm if there are no other exposures during an 8-hour shift but "not more than 50 ppm for a single time exposure for ten minutes."

The rotten egg smell is a warning sign  of the presence of H2S.  However, the gas only produces the infamous smell up to 30 ppm.  The gas is more dangerous at higher concentrations because the "warning smell" disappears. The gas has a sweet smell from 30 to 100 ppm.  It begins to paralyze the olfactory nerves at 100 ppm.   Want to guess what the ppm of the H2S cloud at the lagoon that day was?

The MDEQ September order states:

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 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.

The workers probably did not know what hit them - literally.  

MDEQ issued a cease & desist order for the lagoon on September 11.

One can tell the Fire Chief was none too pleased upon discovering an industrial waste disposal lagoon operates in his area:

After learning this information that this lagoon exist in our response area, I feel as the Fire Chief it would have been appropriate for Gold Coast to notify the fire department and give them a heads up about what was being done in our response area and the hazards that were associated with this facility. We are not equipped with air monitoring  equipment or haz-mat equipment so they have put our firefighters at risk that day. Luckily, they were able to remove the victims prior to our arrival and the victims will recover but let’s look at the big picture of what’s going to happen next at this facility?

MDEQ gave Gold Coast  two weeks to present a plan to comply with MDEQ regulations. 
 
Gold Coast is the target of a federal investigation for its discharge practices.  MDEQ referred Gold Coast to the EPA for a criminal investigation.  The Justice Department is prosecuting the case.  A bill of information was filed two weeks ago against the owner of Rebel High Velocity Sewer Services in Jackson for the illegal discharge of millions of gallons of acidic industrial wastewater into the Jackson sewer system in 2016 and 2017.  The city of Brandon sued Gold Coast as well over the (alleged) illegal discharge of the same wastewater into the Brandon sewer system.


Posted below:MDEQ 2020 order,  Pelahatchie Fire Department reports 1 & 2