Henrico Environmental Watch: Air-permit violations, PFAS rules and data-center wetland review among August developments
Editor's note: In this new monthly feature, the Citizen will spotlight environmental issues, violations, proposals, permits and other related news from throughout Henrico County.
A chemical manufacturer’s air-permit violations, proposed new PFAS discharge-monitoring requirements and a state environmental review involving more than four acres of wetlands were among the notable environmental developments in Henrico County recently.
Seppic, Inc. air-permit violations
The Virginia Department of Environmental Quality and Seppic, Inc. (which operates a chemical manufacturing plant at 6201 Engineered Wood Way in Sandston) entered into a consent order in July that addressed violations of the company's air permit.
The order resulted from findings that Seppic voluntarily disclosed to the DEQ following a facility-wide environmental audit conducted by a third-party consultant.
According to the consent-order summary (linked below), the facility reported emitting 7.5 tons of volatile organic compounds during a year in which its permit limited VOC emissions to 1.4 tons.
That was 6.1 tons above the permit limit — about 436% above the allowable amount, or roughly 5.4 times the limit.
Seppic also disclosed that equipment at the facility had the potential to emit 0.00495 pounds per hour of a pollutant subject to a permitting-exemption threshold of less than 0.00198 pounds per hour. That potential emission rate was 2.5 times the exemption threshold.
DEQ concluded in the proposed order that Seppic had violated two conditions of its air permit as well as a Virginia air-pollution regulation. The order requires Seppic to submit a completed application and fee for a revised or amended permit that accurately reflects actual operating conditions at the facility.
The order does not impose a civil monetary penalty.
DEQ accepted public comments about the enforcement action involving Seppic, Inc. through Aug. 15.
Henrico considers PFAS discharge-monitoring rules
The Henrico Board of Supervisors is expected to vote Sept. 8 on proposed amendments to county wastewater regulations that would establish requirements for monitoring discharges of per- and polyfluoroalkyl substances, commonly called PFAS.
The proposed changes would align county regulations with state and federal requirements. Henrico supervisors had deferred the issue Aug. 25, saying that it would allow DEQ officials to accept a full month of public comment.
The board will host a public hearing on the topic at its Sept. 8 meeting, which begins at 6 p.m. at the Henrico County Government Center, 4301 E. Parham Road.
The ordinance would update maximum wastewater-discharge limits, establish PFAS discharge-monitoring requirements and conform reporting requirements to federal regulations.
If adopted, those requirements could eventually provide additional information about PFAS entering Henrico’s wastewater system from industrial users.
QTS Richmond 5 environmental review completed after temporary suspension
A state environmental review involving the proposed QTS Richmond 5 Data Center in Eastern Henrico County was temporarily suspended during August but subsequently restarted and completed Sept. 4, according to the Virginia Department of Environmental Quality. The final report is not yet available, however.
The approximately 44-acre project site is located near the intersection of East Williamsburg Road and Technology Boulevard within White Oak Technology Park in Sandston. The proposed data-center campus would include associated utilities, roads, generators, parking and stormwater-management facilities.
The proposal would affect approximately 4.29 acres of wetlands, enough to require an individual permit from the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers.
The applicant proposes restoring approximately 10.9 acres of wetlands in New Kent County to compensate for those impacts — about 2.5 acres of proposed restoration for each acre affected.
DEQ originally established a public-comment period from July 20 through Aug. 17. The agency's Environmental Impact Review table subsequently listed the review as “Suspended.”
After the Citizen sought clarification from DEQ Sept. 3, Environmental Impact Review Coordinator Julia Wellman responded in a Sept. 4 email that the suspension had been temporary and that the review had been restarted and completed that day.