Trash pile owner faces criminal charges. Fire “horribly toxic.” Now, EPA investigating
The owner of a mound of recycling trash in Ridgeland, in court Tuesday on charges of violating the S.C. Solid Waste Act and other environmental laws between 2015 and 2016, was released on $20,000 bond.
Chandler Lloyd, owner of Able Contracting Inc., was charged Oct. 25, 2018 with violating the Pollution Control Act, The Solid Waste Policy and Management Act under indictments handed down by a Jasper County grand jury. Lloyd and co-defendant Hiram Lowther were also charged with two counts of conspiracy.
Tuesday’s bond arraignment hearing came shortly after the Environmental Protection Agency joined the S.C. Department of Health and Environmental Control’s investigation into the ongoing fire in the recycling pile and the toxins it has produced. The air quality at the site has reached levels considered hazardous and toxic.
The first two charges against Lloyd state that, between Jan. 1, 2015 and Feb. 12, 2016, he allowed inappropriate construction and demolition debris to be discharged into the environment without proper permits and that he unlawfully operated a landfill without a permit. The second two charges state that Lloyd and Lowther conspired to violate both laws.
For each conspiracy charge, Lloyd and Lowther face up to five years in prison and a fine of up to $5,000, according to S.C. law.
The state, which monitors air quality from one street away from the site, collects data on smoke particles every 15 minutes. According to online information from the EPA, the health standard for 24-hour particle pollution exposure is 35 µg/m3. The levels at the site of the trash pile have been as high as 565 µg/m3 — more than double the range for air quality considered “hazardous.” Particle pollution levels are labeled as Good, Moderate, Unhealthy for Sensitive Groups, Unhealthy, Very Unhealthy and Hazardous. Exposure to greater than or equal to 250.5 ug/m3 is hazardous.
DHEC said the EPA collected water samples from “runoff in nearby ditches and a pond,” caused by firefighters dousing the fire. EPA officials reported that the runoff “is being contained onsite in a series of drainage ditches around the pile.”
Neighbors have reported health issues they say are related to the burning trash. They have headaches, eye and throat issues; some say they can’t breathe. The 45-foot-high mound at Able Contracting Inc., a recycling facility for old construction debris owned by Chandler Lloyd, has been burning since early June.
The EPA said it monitored air at the site from Thursday evening to Monday morning and collected air and water samples to test for harmful toxins. The agency is testing for volatile organic compounds, carbon monoxide, hydrogen sulfide, oxygen and the Lower Explosive Limit — the lowest concentration of a gas capable of producing fire. The agency said the samples will be sent for analysis.
James Pinkney, public affairs specialist for the EPA, said the S.C. environmental control agency requested EPA’s help in air monitoring and sampling on Thursday. Laura Renwick, public information officer for DHEC, said the results from the samples will be complete later this week.
The EPA, which has left the site, is still working with Jasper County Fire-Rescue and the S.C. Department of Health and Environmental Control to investigate the fire, an EPA official said. DHEC is also monitoring the air for particulate matter and taking water samples of runoff.
Janice Nolen, American Lung Association’s vice president of national policy, said particulate matter — a mixture of solid particles and liquid droplets found in the air such as smoke — can cause heart attacks, strokes, asthma attacks, lung cancer and premature death.
“The fact that particulate matter is burning is horribly toxic,” she said.
Nolen said the only way for neighbors and employees to avoid harmful toxins is to stay indoors or away from the area. She said respirator masks won’t work against harmful chemicals or gases — they only help stop air particles.
Although the fiery mound at Able Contracting has been described as a recycling facility, DHEC issued Lloyd a violation of the S.C. Solid Waste Act on Sept. 17, 2018, saying the company failed to meet the 75 percent recycling rate required for Construction and Demolition Facilities for Fiscal Year 2016. DHEC said this enforcement action was closed on Oct. 17, 2018 with a warning letter. Lloyd was then indicted. According to DHEC, Lloyd’s application to be a Construction and Demolition facility is pending.
This story was originally published July 30, 2019 at 6:57 PM.
