MOUNT VERNON – Ohio EPA Director Laurie A. Stevenson today ordered Mount Vernon to remove lime sludge from the city’s Street Department property.
Stevenson issued unilateral orders for the city to remove at least 7,500 cubic yards of the drinking water treatment material from the storage site by Dec. 31, according to an agency release.
“For the last several months, the city has been working hand in hand with OEPA through the process of lime removal and beneficial use,” Mayor Matt Starr said in response to questions about the order. “We have done everything that OEPA has asked. Today we received an administrative order from OEPA. This order directed us to move this lime from its temporary storage facility at 1700 Old Delaware Road to farm fields on an expedited timeline.”
The Environmental Protection Agency had issued a beneficial use permit for Mount Vernon in June after the sludge was tested and met applicable standards. The permit allowed the material to be applied to sites for agronomic benefit as an alternative to mined lime.
In mid-June, the Ohio EPA received a complaint that it was not stored onsite at the water treatment plant, but at a city-owned property nearby.
An investigation found that approximately 30,000 dry tons of lime material had been removed from the drinking water plant’s onsite lagoon and stored at the Street Department’s storage site. As it is not a beneficial use site, the state agency determined it was not covered under the beneficial use general permit. The Ohio EPA began working with the city and told officials a plan must be made to remove the lime sludge from that site.
Another 7,500 cubic yards of lime sludge must be removed by March 31, 2023.
The state EPA also ordered the city to submit a compliance plan by April 30, 2023, to remove the rest of the material from the storage site by Dec. 15, 2023.
“We consider this order an endorsement that the lime is safe for farm use,” Starr said on Wednesday.
He said Mount Vernon is signing up farms and seeking other users for the lime. They can call 740-393-9504 to request a beneficial use form to prepare to receive this lime during and after harvest.
“The city will continue to coordinate with the OEPA on compliance with all applicable laws,” Starr said.
