UNITED

STATES ENVIRONMENTAL

PROTECTION

AGENCY REGION

5 77 WEST JACKSON BOULEVARD CHICAGO,

IL 60604-3590 JUL

17

REPLY

TO THE ATTENTION

OF: A-18J Douglas

Harris General Manager Veolia

ES Technical

Solutions,

L.L.C. 7 Mobile

Avenue Sauget,

Illinois

62201 Dear

Mr. Harris: I am writing

to address

Veolia Environmental

Services’

(Veolia) extrapolation

request and

to itemize

a few

of the concerns

U.S. Environmental

Protection

Agency

has identified

with the August

and September

2008 performance

tests

at this time. I. Request

for Extrapolation On October

10, 2008,

you requested

an extrapolation

of feed

rate levels pursuant

to

40 C.F.R.

§ 63.1 209(l)(

1 )(v)

and (n)(2)(vii).

EPA

is denying

your request

for extrapolation

for

the feed

rate limits

at the levels

you request.

As discussed

more

fully below,

we based

this decision on our review

of the hazardous

waste combustor

maximum

achievable

control technology

(HWC MACT) requirements,

the underlying performance

test results

from

your August

and September 2008

tests,

and your October

10, 2008, request. Pursuant

to

40 C.F.R.

§ 63.1 209(l)(

1 )(v)

and (n)(2)(vii),

the HWC MACT

allows

subject facilities

to request

EPA approval

of higher

feed

rate limits

for

rate low-volatile

metals

(LVM), semi-volatile

metals

(SVM)

and mercury

based

on extrapolation

from performance

test results. In reviewing

the extrapolation

request,

EPA considers

whether

the performance

test metal

feed rates

are appropriate,

based

on historical

metal

feed

rate

data,

and whether

the extrapolated

feed rates requested

are warranted.

EPA reviewed

your methodology

and provided comments

to you in

a June

12, 2008

letter.

One

of our comments

was: “In order

to conduct performance

tests under operating

conditions

that represent

the extreme

range

of normal conditions- as

40 C.F.R. § 63.7(e)(1)

and 63.1207(g)

require- Veolia

must

feed

each metal

group (i.e., mercury,

LVM,

and SVM)

at

no less

than

the highest

12-hour

rolling average

during

the previous

5 years.” RecycledlRecyclable• Printed

with Vegetable

Oil Based

Inks

on 100% Recycled

Paper

(50% Postconsumer)2Thisletterwasfollowed-UpbyaphoneconversationonJuly7,2008,inwhichEPAadvisedthatyoumusttestatthehighrangeofnormalforEPAtoconsideranyextrapolationrequest.Nevertheless,Veoliadidnotconsistentlyconductitsperformancetestsattheextremerangeofnormal.Insomecases,theperformancetestswereconductedatafeedratethatwasalmosthalfofthehighest12-hourrollingaverageduringthepreviousfiveyears.GiventhatVeoliatestedatsuchlowmercury,LVM,andSVMfeedrates,EPAcannotconcludethatVeoliawouldhaveequalsystemremovalefficienciesattherequestedextrapolatedlimits.Furthermore.EPAbelievesthatextrapolationonunit4isnotappropriatesincethetestsdidnotprovidesufficientdatatounderstandtherelationshipbetweenthenecessaryamountofcarbonneededtomaintainthecalculatedsystemremovalefficiencyanddifferentmercuryfeedrates.Lastly,EPAhasanumberofconcernswiththetestprocedureswhichleadustobelievethattheremaybesignificantuncertaintywiththeresults.Thisuncertaintywouldonlybeexacerbatedbyextrapolation.Wedescribesomeoftheseconcernsbelow.WeunderstandthatVeoliahassubmittedadditionalinformationinresponsetoourMay28.2009,requestforinformationwhichmayprovidesomeanswersand/oradditionalquestionsnotaddressedinthisletter.II.2008TestBurnResultsEPAhasseveralconcernswiththequalityofthetestingthat,ifverified,willsignificantlyaffectthefeedratesofLVM,SVM,and,inparticular,mercury,whichformthebasisofyourremovalefficiencyandrequestedextrapolatedfeçdrates.WebelievethatifVeoliaoperatesattherequestedextrapolatedfeedratelevels,itmaybeinviolationoftheHWCMACTemissionlimitations.EPAisconcernedwiththepercentmoisturedataastestedbyMaxxamAnalytics.TheMaxxamAnalytics’resultsaremuchlowerthantheresUltsreportedbyPSCRepublicandEPA’slaboratory.Thefeeddatawillnotberepresentativeofactualtestburnconditionsifinappropriatemoisturedataareusedtoconvertdry-weightconcentrationstowet-weight,andcouldresultinanoverstatementofmetalsfeedrates.EPAisconcernedthatMaxxamAnalytics’standardoperatingprocedure(SOP)fortestingthemercuryinthefeedwasnotappropriateinthiscasebecausethesamplesweredriedpriortotesting.Dryingsamplestobeanalyzedforavolatilemetalcouldresultinfeeddatathatisnotrepresentativeoftestburnconditions.EPAisconcernedthatMaxxamAnalytics’SOPfortestingliquidsampleswasnotappropriateinthiscasebecausethesampleswerefilteredpriortotesting.Filteringsamplescouldresultinfeeddatathatisnotrepresentativeoftestburnconditions.3EPAisconcernedthatthequalitycontrolanddatavalidationmaybeinsufficient.Dataapprovalsanddeclarationsthatalldatahaspassedvalidationandqualitycontrol,asstatedinthetestburnreports,isanindicationthatthereviewwasinsufficientgiventhetestburndataproblemssubsequentlyfoundbybothVeoliaandEPA.WehavereceivedyourresponsetoourMay28,2009,requestforinformation.Wearereviewingthisinformationandarehopefulthatitwillinformusaswemoveforwardindevelopingoperatingparameterlimitsformercury,LVM,andSVMfeedrates.Weareopentomeetingwithyou,yourcontractor,ENSR,andthelaboratorythatanalyzedthetestsamples,MaxxamAnalyticstodiscusstheseissues,aswellasanyotherquestionsthatmayarisefromthereviewoftheinformationyouhavesubmittedinresponsetotheMay28,2009,requestforinformation.Ifyouhaveanyquestionsregardingtheletterorwouldliketosetupameetingtodiscussthisletter,pleasecontactGenevieveDamico,ofmystaff,at(312)353-4761.Sincerely,CrNewtonectorAirandRadiationDivisioncc:LaurelKroack,IllinoisEnvironmentalProtectionAgency