WV DEP Files Complaint Against Wood Recycling Plant

West Virginia state environmental officials ordered a Berkeley Springs, W.V., wood products recycling center to stop polluting the air. The facility was, at times, emitting at least five times the legal amount of wood dust and had been operating without a required air permit for four months.

Citizen complaints led to an inspection of the facility during which the violations were discovered.

Stephanie Timmermeyer, director of the West Virginia Department of Environmental Protection’s Division of Air Quality, said Gaithersburg Recycling Center LLC was emitting wood dust from the company’s wood grinding process in a plume at 100 percent opacity – meaning you couldn’t see through the plume. State law limits opacity to 20 percent.

“It is very unusual for an inspector to find such a high opacity rate,” Timmermeyer said. “We consider this to be a serious violation.”

The dust plume violation, however, was overshadowed by the company’s failure to apply for an air permit as required by law.

“What makes this worse is that the company knew it needed an air permit before beginning operations because a similar nearby facility known as Morgan County Potting Soil Manufacturers has applied for one,” Timmermeyer said.

The two facilities are affiliated.

A Division of Air Quality inspector conducted an inspection of the facility April 18, after the agency received citizen complaints of wood dust fallout on their property and of health problems associated with that fallout.

Gaithersburg Recycling Center operates the wood mulching and bagging facility on a site formerly known as Compton Trucking Co.

Gaithersburg Recycling has fifteen days from the date of the notice of violation to stop operations at the facility.

The company has 30 days to file an appeal of the ruling with the Air Quality Board.