PA DEP Agreement Removes Ash Aggregate Pile In Three Years

The Pennsylvania Department of Environmental Protection announced that it has reached an agreement with American Ash Recycling Corp., York Building Products Co. and the York County Solid Waste Authority to stabilize and remove the stockpile of treated ash aggregate from a facility in York County.

“This agreement is the culmination of a number of meetings with York City Council members and neighbors of the facility,“ said Eric Conrad, DEP’s deputy secretary. “Earlier this summer, I made a commitment to the residents that we would find a way to remove the stockpile. This legal agreement unites all of the parties involved and expedites the removal. I am very appreciative of the support from York City Council members Joe Musso and Toni Smith while we worked our way through the resolution of this issue.”

Almost 366,000 tons of treated ash from the York County Solid Waste Authority’s waste-to-energy facility currently are stored at the American Ash Recycling site on land owned by York Building Products.

Under the agreement, a minimum of 7,500 tons of treated ash will be removed from the stockpile monthly. The entire pile is to be removed by Oct. 15, 2006. The stockpile will be stabilized with hydro-pulping to prevent wind and water erosion.

“During my visit to site, the neighbors expressed concerns about the ash blowing from the stockpile and possibly causing health problems in the community,” Deputy Secretary Conrad said. “The stabilization will help to relieve those concerns while the removal takes place.”

DEP conducted air monitoring in April, May and June. Although sample results indicated a high traffic area, there is no indication that the stockpiled ash is contributing to dust in the Fireside residential area.

In April, DEP sampled water in York Building Product’s quarry pits and nearby Willis Run in response to concerns raised about water contamination from the ash pile. Those results showed no impact from the ash pile on Willis Run or the quarry pits.

Since August, AggRite has been used at Modern Landfill as daily cover, replacing soil that was being trucked from York Building Products’ Roosevelt Avenue quarry and other sources. Use of the AggRite as daily cover at a landfill saves a natural resource, soil. This use fits in the beneficial reuse of an otherwise considered waste, according to Deputy Secretary Conrad.