2011
Cumberland ParkThe Giles County Partnership for Excellence has been portrayed by articles in the Roanoke Times as some type of plague upon the County of Giles and mankind as a whole. I, Joe Ryder, board member of this organization for the past 14 years would like to say I’m proud to be associated with it and its executive director Howard Spencer and fellow partnership board members. It is worth noting that all board members having worked diligently over the years on a strictly volunteer basis, never receiving any compensation except the self satisfaction of helping the community. I’m proud of the vast sums of grant money we have been awarded for the benefit Giles County, of the many tens of thousands of dollars we have given to the students of Giles County in the Serve, Learn, and Earn program over the years, not to mention work experience. I am proud of School Resource Officers we have put in the schools, the mini grants we have given the teachers, and the homeless we have consoled with new or rebuilt homes with our Hammering in the Hills program. Apprentice workers, many of which were kids that nobody but Howard would employ built these houses.
I am proud of our Cumberland Park project as an opportunity to inject millions of dollars into the local economy in an environmentally safe manner. (I’m sorry if some do not believe this, but yes engineers can truly balance environmental concerns with progress, and yes your DEQ truly does know what the potential risks are, or lack there of associated with these types of projects.). As has been reported in the Roanoke Times, DEQ director David Paylor testified before a recent Senate committee that DEQ is comfortable with the Giles County project.
Whats New
The Electric Power Research Institute (EPRI) conducts independent, non-profit research, development and demonstration in the electricity sector. One focus of EPRI includes beneficial reuse of coal combustion byproducts (CCB) at engineered fill sites such as Cumberland Park. EPRI has evaluated engineered fill sites throughout the US, and is scheduled in early April 2010 to survey Cumberland Park for engineering, operations and natural resources. The information obtained by EPRI will be incorporated into their on-going nationwide research program. We’re pleased that Cumberland Park will add value to EPRI’s research base.
The Environmental Council of States (ECOS) has revised Resolution 8-14, “Regulation of Coal Combustion Products” at their Spring meeting. The revised resolution reiterates ECOS’ opposition to hazardous waste regulations for CCBs.
The following measures are taken to provide environmental controls beyond what is required by state and federal regulators. They should assure Giles County residents and users of the New River who may have concerns despite 18 months of engineering, informational meetings and years of Appalachian Power’s experience with this very type of project.
Two new measures will be added:• Groundwater monitoring has been installed on the Cumberland Park property. While this installation is not required by regulators, it will provide data which we believe will demonstrate that the company’s CCP is utilized in a responsible manner as directed in the Quality Assurance/ Quality Control documentation.
• To ensure and verify that the composition of the Glen Lyn CCP being trucked to the site does not deviate from allowable limits set by the Virginia Department of Environmental Quality (VDEQ), the CCP will be randomly sampled while the project is ongoing. This testing is not required.Q2. Why does the structural fill design not include a liner?
A2. The USEPA program that endorses and encourages the use of CCBs as valuable mineral resources acting as substitutes for processed or mined material evaluates the risk presented by use of the material. That program, Coal Combustion Products Partnership (C2P2), encourages structural fills and now leaves it to the states on how to regulate. Risks presented by proposed applications of the mineral resource are evaluated both by VADEQ and by AEP. AEP proceeds only with those deemed to be safe. AEP stands behind any project the Company is involved in and as a responsible Corporate citizen always works with VADEQ to remediate environmental issues, should they arise.Q3. Why do the regulations allow a structural fill of CCB to not have a liner but landfills do require one?
A3. Perhaps no liner is required by regulation because structural fills are smaller in volume, occupy less footprint and are shorter in duration than a typical CCB landfill (open for 22 years or more). The viability of any proposed project is influenced by the cost and piling additional requirements onto structural fills can make them uneconomical, effectively negating a large part of USEPA's C2P2 program, which encourages CCB utilization.
What: The Giles Cumberland Park Project is a community development project to create a commercially viable 7+-acre building site along Rt. 460 in Narrows, Va. Through extensive engineering it was determined that a combination of compacted recycled coal ash and soil would create the best structural foundation for the site. The project is not a “fly ash lagoon”, “dump”, or “landfill”.
Who: The land is owned by the Giles Partnership for Excellence, a non-profit organization with a long history of successful economic development and community service projects for Giles County. The Partnership has pledged the eventual net proceeds from the sale of the Cumberland Park Project will be rolled back into the community, through the schools, and/or other applications to help create much needed jobs.
When: Site preparation began in October 2007. Erosion and sediment control were put in place, topsoil was removed and saved for reapplication, and protective berms were constructed along the New River. The berm construction was the first step in raising the site above the 100-year flood plain. Structural fill is expected to begin in late March or April 2008, depending on the weather and soil conditions.
Why: The project will create prime commercial real estate with 1200 feet of road frontage along Rt. 460. Possible use includes a hotel, light industry, and/or retail businesses. These entities can create jobs, tax revenue, and travel and tourism opportunities for Giles County.
Properties of Coal Ash: Coal ash particles are essentially insoluable aluminosilicate glasses like fine cinders which contain trace amounts (parts per million/billion) of heavy metals, many of which occur naturally in the environment. Coal ash is also recycled into cement, concrete blocks, used in agricultural applications, for highway ice control, as fill for abandoned mines and, as in the Cumberland Park Project, as a structural base for construction.
Studies of sites in Minnesota and Illinois completed eight and 15 years after completion of structural projects showed insignificant leaching of trace elements; however, the possibility of that occurring differs with a region’s geology and hydrologic factors. Each site is different and is the reason that extensive engineering analysis must be completed and approvals granted prior to the start of any structural coal ash project.
Cumberland Park designed to protect environment, create jobs and contribute to county vocational programs.
This project, entitled the Cumberland Park Project, involves the development of over 1,200 feet of new Route 460 commercial road frontage across the road from the BP gas station adjacent to the Narrows town limits. “The development of this area,” reports Spencer, “would offer growth of the county or town tax base and provide many new area jobs. This marginal land will be turned into valuable piece of commercial property that will be offered for sale upon completion. The proceeds of this sale will be rolled back into the community, through the schools, and/or other applications to help create much needed jobs. It is a win-win situation for both economic and job development as well as vocational training in our County.”
The structural fill material that will be utilized for the Cumberland Park project will be CCB or coal combustion by-products obtained from AEP. These by-products are produced from burning coal. According to the American Coal Ash website, the relationship between coal ash and the environment has been studied extensively by the Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) since 1988. In a report dated February 1, 1988, the EPA concluded that the ash resulting from the combustion of fossil fuels was not hazardous and did not need to be regulated as a hazardous waste under the Resource Conservation and Recovery Act (RCRA).
In a report to Congress dated March 1999, the EPA again confirmed that coal ash did not require regulation as a hazardous waste and encouraged the beneficial use of coal combustion products.
In 1999 and 2000 Headwaters constructed a 190,000 cubic yard structural fill on the Fairchild site in Glen Lyn. This resulted in the establishment of a valuable commercial property out of a vacant field. An AEP Regional Maintenance Center was subsequently constructed on a portion of this site.
These results prompted Spencer to state that, in his opinion, recycling this product will save the construction and development of many acres of rural areas for construction of an ash disposal area.
The Cumberland Park Project, the project underway, will utilize Glen Lyn coal combustion products. Draper Aden and Associates have designed this project with input from Schnabel Engineering. Headwaters Inc., using much of the area labor currently in use at the Glen Lyn ash disposal facility, will build it.
Because a hydrological study has never been done for this area, Draper Aden and Associates, completed engineering studies using the latest hydrological computer software to define the floodway and flood plain for the fill area. The coal combustion by-products will be protected from inundation by the earthen berm of controlled backfill armored with an anchor-reinforced system capable of withstanding 100-year flood stage velocities. In addition a 5-foot vertical buffer distance will be maintained from the seasonal high-water table.
“I was born and raised in this area. I love the river, the area and the people around it. I would never involve myself in a project that would adversely effect it,” states Spencer. “All the partners in this project have maintained a high level of integrity through out the planning process and are committed to building Cumberland Park in a manner that will provide maximum benefits to the county, it’s citizens, it’s visitors and the environment,” concludes Spencer.
Quality Assurance Number One
- The GCPFEF (Owner) has employed a dedicated construction quality assurance quality control manager during construction phases.
- The project design and quality assurance/quality control (QA/QC) program calls for extensive testing of the placement of soil, CCBs, concrete, and drainage structures throughout the construction phases.
- All QA/QC test results and documentation will be kept on file and can be presented to the DEQ at any time.
- Currently, the project is in the operational phases which also requires a strict QA/QC program. Ash placement is strictly tested and controlled to achieve optimum compaction.
Win – Win Benefits to Community
- Truly represents a win-win project as valuable land is made available to promote new businesses
- Proceeds from the land development will be rolled back into the community, through the schools, and/or other applications to help create much needed jobs.
- New jobs, increased tax revenues
- No utilization of public funds for design or development
- Provides for beneficial utilization of a product that would otherwise require impacting large landfill areas
Construction & Operations
- Construction phase of the Cumberland Park Project is largely complete. It included the building of the flood control berm and drainage piping. Remaining are the operational (filling) and closure phases.
- The project includes an irrigation system to keep any exposed CCBs moist to prevent a fugitive dust problem. A water truck with pump spray capabilities will also be used to prevent fugitive dust.
- Noise will be kept to a minimum
- Tracking of mud on the public roads will not be tolerated, knock off gravel or a truck wash will be used.
MAKING A DIFFERENCE ONE PROJECT AT A TIME - This project represents a win-win for our county. It has/will:
- Considered the environmental concerns of the New River
- Proceeds from the land development will be rolled back into the community, through the schools, and/or other applications to help create much needed jobs.
- Provide Jobs for local residents
- Promote the growth of business in our county
- Provide revenue to the county
- Cost Giles County nothing in tax dollars
Good Neighbors, Glen Lyn Plant and Giles County
- Located on the banks of the New River, Appalachian Power’s Glen Lyn Plant has been producing reliable power since 1918.
The plant has two units that produce a total of 340 MW of power, enough power to serve almost 300,000 homes.- On average, the plant consumes 700,000 tons of coal yearly utilizing state of the art pollution control equipment to ensure environmental compliance. Due to the recession, in 2009 significantly less coal was consumed.
- The plant has an excellent record with the regulatory agencies for environmental compliance.
- The Appalachian Power (primarily Glen Lyn Plant) annually pays corporate taxes to the Towns and County averaging $800,000 per year.
- The plant employs 95 full time regional workers. This injects 8-10 million dollars into the area in wages and benefits yearly. During large outages the number of workers will often exceed 500.
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