Waste facility’s May testing was flawed

Spokane’s Waste-to-Energy plant apparently has more pollution issues than its recent generation of pink clouds.

The Spokane County Air Pollution Control Authority has informed the plant, which is owned by the city and operated by Wheelabrator Technologies, that its annual pollution testing completed in May was flawed.

Last month, in a separate issue, the plant violated clean air rules when it released two pinkish plumes after burning industrial waste containing iodine.

In both cases, SCAPCA has decided not to fine the plant. Instead, the agency has agreed to allow the city to conduct more tests to make up for the flawed one and to develop a plan for better screening to rectify the pink cloud violation.

SCAPCA director Bill Dameworth said the tests likely will cost more than the fines and will provide important information about emissions that otherwise wouldn’t be known.

“We felt this was a better public policy rather than just collecting a small fine,” Dameworth said.

SCAPCA board member Jeff Corkill questioned the lack of fines at an agency meeting Thursday.

“My concern is the Waste-to-Energy Plant put a lot of pressure on you to back off,” Corkill told Dameworth. “I would really encourage you to not get pushed around by these people.”

In an interview afterward, Corkill said he doesn’t know for sure that pressure was exerted, but he made the statement to ensure the agency doesn’t get bullied.

A call to Wheelabrator Technologies in Spokane was not returned Thursday.

City spokeswoman Marlene Feist said the city supports the extra monitoring.

“We don’t believe there is a problem here, but we certainly want to provide that reassurance to the citizens,” Feist said.

The problem with the plant’s tests occurred in May.

Once a year, the plant conducts three tests and averages the results together to ensure emissions such as mercury, cadmium and lead abide by its pollution permit.

But when the first test showed the plant’s non-methane hydrocarbon emissions were too high, the results were set aside. Three new readings were taken the next day that showed the plant was not violating pollution standards.

“It’s not typical to have a day in between these runs,” said April Westby, a SCAPCA environmental engineer. “If they had continued to run (the tests), they probably would have had three runs over the standards.”

Waste-to-Energy Plant leaders have told the agency that they stopped the tests because they assumed the high level seen during the first test was inaccurate, and something could have been wrong with the monitoring devices or equipment in the plant was broken.

However, no problems were found with the testing equipment or plant operations.

The level of hydrocarbon emissions measured in the first test likely wouldn’t threaten public health, Westby said. However, the number could show that the plant was not burning waste efficiently or could indicate an unusual waste was being burned. It’s also possible that the city’s theory was correct: The first test was inaccurate.

“We really don’t have any way to know what was going on,” Westby said.

An agreement between SCAPCA and the city signed Thursday will require the plant to test for hydrocarbons four times next year instead of one. It also stipulates how the tests should be completed. In exchange, SCAPCA agreed not to fine the plant for May’s flawed test, though it reserves the right to fine the plant if new tests show violations.

Karen Lindholdt, an attorney who specializes in clean air law, said she’s troubled by SCAPCA’s decision not to pursue fines against the plant, especially given recent controversies surrounding the firing of Spokane County Regional Health District Director Dr. Kim Thorburn and last year’s departure of SCAPCA Director Eric Skelton.

“Having a decision such as this take place at this point in time continues to erode my confidence that board members and elected officials have public health as their primary interest,” Lindholdt said.