Incinerator operator says clerical error made emissions appear higher than they are
The company that operates Charleston County's trash incinerator said Monday that it's not one of the top five mercury polluters in the state. It attributed its poor ranking in the past to a typographical error made by a clerk.
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Instead of releasing 129 pounds of mercury a year, the incinerator's red-and-white stack emits 27 pounds a year, said Lee Bazzle, manager of the plant off Spruill Avenue.
That would move it from the fifth worst mercury polluter to number 20 on one roster kept by the state Department of Health and Environmental Control. 'It moves us way down the list,' Bazzle said.
The corrected data could have implications in the debate over how 330,000 residents get rid of their trash.
The county earlier this year said it would shut down the incinerator in 2010 and shift more trash to its landfill on Bees Ferry Road and a new dump west of Charleston.
The decision angered residents in those areas, prompting the County Council to create a new committee and hire a consultant to take a comprehensive look at the county's trash disposal options.
The fate of the county's incinerator hangs on the outcome of this study.
The incinerator is the only one of its kind in the state. Operated by Montenay Charleston near the old Navy base, it converts 230,000 tons of trash a year, or 80 percent of the county's garbage, into smoke, steam and a thick black ash.
When running at full bore, it pumps enough electricity into the power grid to light 7,000 to 10,000 homes.
The incinerator's activated charcoal scrubber removes some of the mercury, but the plant still emits mercury, a potent neurotoxin linked to birth defects and other health problems.
The mercury generally comes from batteries, thermostats, fluorescent light bulbs and electronic equipment that people throw in the trash.
The company calculates its mercury emissions by hiring a certified engineer who measures pollutants in the incinerator's stacks and extrapolates the readings to create a yearly emissions figure.
"A clerk made a typo when reporting our mercury emissions data to DHEC," Bazzle said.
"The data is based upon a complex formula, and when submitted was .05, when it should have been .005."
Because of that typo, DHEC listed the incinerator's emissions as 129 pounds when it should have been 27 pounds. A year ago, The Post and Courier, using the incorrect DHEC data, reported that the facility was one of the top mercury emitters.
"We didn't recognize (the error's) significance to the negotiations with the county and the public's perception about the facility," Bazzle said, adding "we take our environmental responsibility very seriously."
Adam Myrick, a media relations officer with DHEC, said officials who keep track of emissions issues wouldn't be able to comment on the Montenay situation until Tuesday because it would take time to "crunch the right numbers."
