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FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
Sept. 22, 2020
EGLE Media Office, EGLE-Assist@Michigan.gov, 517-284-9278
Jill A. Greenberg, EGLE spokesperson, GreenbergJ@Michigan.gov, 517-897-4965
EGLE, US Ecology – Detroit South enter consent agreement to address facility odor violations
The Michigan Department of Environment, Great Lakes, and Energy (EGLE), Materials Management Division and EQ Detroit Inc. (doing business as US Ecology – Detroit South [USE]) on Sept. 11, 2020, entered a Consent Order to address on-going odor violations at the facility. USE operates an 11.5-acre waste treatment plant located at 1923 Frederick Street in Detroit.
USE is licensed under state laws for solid waste and hazardous waste management. The facility treats and solidifies industrial waste prior to off-site disposal. Between August 2019 and August 2020, staff from EGLE’s Air Quality Division (AQD), verified five instances of unreasonable nuisance odors coming from the facility and issued Violation Notices to USE for those instances.
The Consent Order requires USE to submit an Odor Control Plan to MMD for review and approval within 90 days of the date it was entered.
“This order requires US Ecology – Detroit South to control odors from its waste processing operations in accordance with Michigan’s regulations,” said Liz Browne, interim director for MMD. “Our goal is to ensure USE is not a nuisance to neighbors and that the facility is operated safely.”
Primary tenets of the Consent Order also include the following:
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USE must provide detailed methods for conducting odor surveys, determining when odors may be in violation of the Consent Order, and completing additional corrective actions, as necessary.
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The Odor Control Plan must be amended at the direction of MMD if the control measures detailed in the plan are not effective in preventing violations of the Michigan’s solid waste regulations.
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USE must submit quarterly reports to the MMD that document compliance with the provisions of the approved Odor Control Plan and the Consent Order; summarize odor evaluation and control methods in use; evaluate the effectiveness of currently in-place odor controls; and state any corrective actions or new odor control measures implemented pursuant to the approved Odor Control Plan.
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Failure of USE to comply with the Consent Order will subject USE to payment of penalties. Beginning 120 days after the Consent Order was entered, USE also will be subjected to penalties for each instance MMD determines USE has failed to reasonably control odors from the facility.
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