[Federal Register Volume 61, Number 54 (Tuesday, March 19, 1996)]
[Notices]
[Pages 11195-11196]
From the Federal Register Online via the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]
[FR Doc No: 96-6526]
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DEPARTMENT OF DEFENSE
Notice of Intent to Prepare an Environmental Impact Statement for
the Proposed Plasma ARC Hazardous Waste Treatment Facility, Naval Base
Norfolk, Virginia
SUMMARY: Pursuant to Section 102(2)(c) of the National Environmental
Policy Act (NEPA) of 1969 as implemented by the Council on
Environmental Quality regulations (40 CFR Parts 1500-1508), the
Department of the Navy announces its intent to prepare an Environmental
Impact Statement (EIS) to evaluate the potential environmental effects
of a proposed Plasma Arc Hazardous Waste Treatment Facility (PAHWTF) at
Naval Base Norfolk, Virginia.
A PAHWTF uses a thermal process for treating solid and hazardous
waste. The system employs extremely high temperature (10,000 to 30,000
deg.F) from a plasma arc torch to destroy organic waste and change or
fuse solid or hazardous waste into a glass-like, nonleachable
substance, a process known as vitrification. A typical PAHWTF consists
of a feeder system, primary combustion chamber, secondary combustion
chamber, off-gas treatment system, and slag collection chamber. This
technology has existed for over 20 years, and initially was used for
simulation of high thermal loads encountered by spacecraft during
atmospheric reentry. The process has been successfully used to treat
contaminated soil and several different hazardous waste streams. The
technology has also been used for applications such as refining and
recovery of metals.
During the first 12 to 18 months following installation, the PAHWTF
[[Page 11196]]
will be operated as a demonstration facility, treating limited
quantities of waste such as used paint, dirt contaminated with oil and
hydraulic fluids, oil rags, solvents, and other waste generated from
industrial operations at Naval Base Norfolk. The purpose of the
demonstration period is to construct and operate a full scale
production unit to establish an optimum method of feeding various types
of waste and to establish the economic viability of the process.
Under normal operating conditions, the processing rate of the
proposed unit will be 400 to 700 pounds per hour (approximately
equivalent to a 55-gallon drum). It is anticipated that during the
demonstration period, specific types of waste will be fed into the unit
to determine optimum feed rates. During the demonstration period, the
unit will typically be operated one to two days per week, which could
involve 24-hour-per-day operation, with a maximum of 30,000 pounds
being treated in any given month. When the demonstration period is
successfully completed and the unit can be placed into full operation
(24-hour-per-day, Monday through Friday), it is anticipated that
approximately 175,000 pounds per month could be treated. However,
because of down time for procedures such as slag extraction and the
performance of preventive and corrective maintenance, the unit will
only actually be in operation approximately 65% of the time.
Once cost effectiveness and appropriate feed-rates are established,
the facility will be used to treat a significant portion of the
approximately 2 million pounds of waste generated at Naval Base
Norfolk. This will reduce the volume of hazardous waste requiring off-
site transfer for treatment and disposal. The decision whether to
continue use of the facility will be based on its operational
performance (i.e., reliability of the system, feed rate, byproducts,
etc.), cost efficiency, and the ability to secure long-term permits.
The waste stream will be limited to the materials which can be treated
most cost effectively.
Topics to be addressed in the EIS include, but will not be limited
to, air quality, land use, socioeconomic impacts, water quality, flood
plains, and noise. The waste to be treated at this facility will be
managed to create no public health or safety risk. Various sites at
Naval Base Norfolk will be addressed in the EIS. Operation of this unit
will be subject to obtaining the required permits from both the U.S.
Environmental Protection Agency and the Commonwealth of Virginia.
Federal, state and local agencies, and interested individuals are
invited to participate in the scoping process to determine the range of
issues related to the proposed project.
ADDRESSES: A public scoping meeting to receive oral and written
comments will be held on Tuesday, April 16, 1996, at 7:00 p.m., at the
Sewells Point Elementary School, 7928 Hampton Boulevard, Norfolk,
Virginia 23505. At the meeting, the Navy will present a brief overview
of the proposed action, then public comments will be received. When
registering, each attendee will be requested to indicate whether oral
comments will be delivered at the meeting. In the interest of available
time, each speaker will be asked to limit oral comments to five
minutes. Longer comments should be summarized at the meeting. In
addition, written comments and/or questions may be submitted no later
than April 30, 1996 to: Commander, Atlantic Division, Naval Facilities
Engineering Command, 1510 Gilbert Street, Norfolk, Virginia 23511-2699
(Attention: Mr. Robert Waldo, Code 2032RW), telephone (804) 322-4895,
fax (804) 322-4894.
Dated: March 14, 1996.
M.D. Schetzsle,
LT, JAGC, USNR, Alternate Federal Register Liaison Officer.
[FR Doc. 96-6526 Filed 3-18-96; 8:45 am]
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