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Dicks Creek clean up raises concerns over emissions, VOCs

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By Jessica Heffner, Staff Writer 9:52 PM Thursday, June 11, 2009

While only five residents attended a public hearing regarding the draft waste water discharge permit for the clean up of Dicks Creek by AK Steel, plenty of concerns were raised regarding possible air emissions from the project and Volatile Organic Compounds in the stream.

The hearing was regarding the limits of pollutants and required monitoring of any water discharged through a treatment system set up by AK. The treatment system is still under review, said Erika Wiggins with the Ohio Environmental Protection Agency, which held the event.

Mike Ploetz, environmental compliance specialist of the Hamilton County Department of Environmental Services, said the excavation of the site to remove bed and bank sediments contaminated with polychlorinated biphenyls — a possible carcinogen — has the potential to create air emissions. Any increase of emissions would have to be considered with current AK operations and the potential operations of SunCoke Energy because both companies’ emissions are linked.

“They are contiguous so they are all considered all one organization,” he said.

AK Steel is still trying to quantify potential emissions from the excavation to determine if any additional controls are needed. Any emissions could potentially have an impact on limits of the current permit SunCoke has obtained for its $340 million coke facility to be built near AK, as well as the New Source Review permit the company is now seeking, Ploetz said.

In a pilot system set up to see how the water in Dicks Creek and Monroe Ditch will be treated, it was determined there were high levels of certain Volatile Organic Compounds — VOCs — in the streams as well. While the cleanup was primarily focused on PCBs, the Ohio EPA is now also requiring AK limit the discharge of the VOCs as well during the project, said Mary Osika, an Ohio EPA specialist in the Division of Surface Water.

Carl Batliner, project manager of the cleanup, submitted written comments objecting the Ohio EPA setting a maximum daily limit of these VOCs to five micrograms per liter and instead would like there to be a monthly average limit. Marilyn Wall with the Sierra Club urged the EPA to retain the current limitations if it issues a final permit.

The Ohio EPA will collect comments on the permit until Tuesday, June 16. To submit, write to write to the Ohio EPA, Division of Surface Water, Attn: Permits Processing Unit, P.O. Box 1049, Columbus, Ohio 43216-1049.

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The Dicks Creek cleanup has been going on for years. I thought this was resolved years ago and AK had been ordered to clean up their pollution. How many hearings, lab sample collections and testing have to occur before they get the picture of the chemicals discharged into the creek by AK?

VietVet
6:49 AM, 6/12/2009

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Holy crap, people want the creek cleaned, AK is going to do it and now you find something else to complain about. AK will clean it then it's time to leave it alone.
Now bring on the coke plant for Monroe!

Todhunter Rd.
1:34 AM, 6/12/2009

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