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Operations manager: DNR inspections clear; new flare installed, one turbine still down
Summary
Keith Dralmeier, operations manager at Metro, told the Franklin City solid-waste monitoring committee that recent Department of Natural Resources visits and a full-site inspection produced no findings and that the site completed targeted wetland remediation.
Keith Dralmeier, operations manager at Metro, told the Franklin City solid-waste monitoring committee that recent Department of Natural Resources visits and a full-site inspection produced no findings and that the site completed targeted wetland remediation.
"We had a couple visits with the DNR...and we did just have a site inspection here 3 weeks ago," Dralmeier said, describing meetings on cell construction and subsequent follow-up work to remove dirt clumps and fill erosion rills near wetlands.
Dralmeier said resistivity testing was completed and the cell construction work was expected to be finished imminently; staff will continue filling the existing area through December and move operations into the lower portion of the landfill around January 1. He estimated there remain roughly "40 or 50 feet" of vertical capacity in Cell B before moving operations down the footprint.
Operations work this month also included beginning piping for a newly delivered flare. Dralmeier said the new unit is larger and will provide sufficient cubic feet per minute (CFM) to operate site systems if other engines or turbines are offline; the existing flare remains operable but is older and cannot support the entire site if all engines are down.
On gas-to-energy equipment, Dralmeier said only one turbine is currently running. He described intermittent efforts by the gas-operations crew to repair a second unit but said funding and competing priorities have delayed a sustained return to two-turbine operation.
Why it matters: these infrastructure and construction items affect environmental controls, on-site emissions management and the site's ability to operate through winter and during equipment outages. The committee did not take formal action on the operations update.
Next steps: staff will finalize the cell construction reporting, continue installation of the new flare piping and provide follow-up updates to the committee as work progresses.
