[StBernard] SDT could be fined, transfer facility closed

[Westley Annis]

SDT could be fined, transfer facility closed

08:45 PM CST on Friday, November 7, 2008

Lee Zurik / Eyewitness News 



The state's Department of Environmental Quality sent a notice of potential
penalty letter to SDT Waste and Debris Services Friday for a total of 6
violations at the waste transfer station SDT has been operating in St.
Bernard parish on Paris road. 

The letter comes after DEQ spent 6 different days investigating SDT in
August and October, most recently October 30. 

The violations include operating the transfer station without an appropriate
permit, failing to lock the facility during non-operating hours, not
clearing the ground of garbage at the end of each day and allowing solid
waste to get into 2 ponds north and west of the facility. 

SDT faces a fine of almost $33,000 per day, per violation. They have 30 days
to submit a report to DEQ. There was no word when the penalty will be handed
down. 

"There was no imminent danger to human health or environment with these
violations," said Roselle Foote from DEQ. "Any violation requires the
department to do something. And when you say serious, that is somewhat of a
relative term, but it is serious enough that violation did occur." 

Also Online
 
DEQ Letter 
In a statement, SDT owner Sidney Torres says SDT has been working with LDEQ
on the items in the order and is currently in compliance with all of them.
"The parish asked SDT to open the waste transfer site in February, 2007 and
SDT has spent hundreds of thousands of dollars making substantial upgrades
to the facility. LDEQ has made frequent visits since that time and SDT has
always responded timely with each and every LDEQ request. SDT will request a
hearing and file a report describing its compliance measures." 

The Department of Environmental Quality has also asked for SDT's annual
gross revenue and a statement of the monetary benefits for not complying
with its regulations because both could be used to determine whether a
penalty will be assessed. 

In other news, the site in St. Bernard Parish operated by SDT Waste and
Debris Services has been shut down, following an investigation by 4
Investigates and St. Bernard Parish. 

Since the summer of 2007, SDT has been operating a transfer station out of
St. Bernard that has allowed residents to drop off debris, and it also where
many SDT trucks go everyday, dumping their trash into a large pile, a pile
that is eventually moved to a different truck and on to a landfill. 

Since SDT started operating that transfer station, landfill fees for the
parish started to rise, creating the possibility been paying for the
disposal of municipalities' trash. 

Friday, the parish shutdown the transfer station, though parish residents
will still be able to drop off trash, and no SDT trucks from any other
parish will be able to use the site. 

Parish President Craig Taffaro said that was needed to get a handle on how
much trash St. Bernard is producing. 

"We've taken some steps along the way," he said, "methodically, so we didn't
do something rash and putting parish debris getting picked up in jeopardy.
At the same time, it had sort of come to a head that we really need to work
this out, and see if we can get what we believe is fair compensation for the
debris that has come through St. Bernard." 

The compensation that Taffaro think St. Bernard is owed by Sidney Torres is
$1.8 million since Taffaro took office or $2.7 million since Torres began
picking up trash in St. Bernard. 

Torres released a statement, saying, "SDT provided substantial improvements,
personnel and equipment to upgrade the facility so that it could accept
residents waste and debris at no charge.  The parish asked SDT to open the
facility in 2007 so St. Bernard residents could dispose of their
construction and demolition debris. SDT is hopeful it can work out an
agreement with the parish for continued operation of the facility."