Case Study: Agri-Cycle

Agri-Cycle opened as a wastewater treatment operation, accepting organic waste and wastewater from outside sources for the purpose of treating the collected wastewater onsite through various treatment methods, including four ponds and a land application system to spray pre-treated waste on grassy portions of the property. However, soon after opening, the locals began to complain to community and state leaders about the constant stench, increase in nuisance insects such as flies, and the visible pollution of nearby Allen Creek. In 2005-2006, the Georgia Environmental Protection Division (EPD) indicated that Agri-Cycle was not operating in accordance with its state permit and that furthermore, the company had excavated new ponds on the property without EPD approval. Eventually, in 2007, the EPD issued an administrative order against the company requiring it to cease operations and submit closure plans within 30 days. Mysteriously, a few days after this order, one of the onsite ponds caught on fire, prompting significant legal discussions on how to properly shut down the plant and properly clean up the onsite hazardous waste. After several years of legal proceedings and unfulfilled court orders for the company to properly clean up the abandoned property, the EPD began working on identifying potential cleanup solutions in 2016. In 2018, the site was officially listed on the EPD’s Hazardous Site Inventory List, as the company was determined to be “…unable or unwilling to conduct the required investigation and/or cleanup under the Hazardous Site Response Act for source materials, soil, and groundwater.” The site was ultimately designated as a Class 1 cleanup priority and deemed to require corrective action for released regulated substances, including ammonia, phosphorus, and lead. Funding for the cleanup was made available from the Hazardous Waste Trust Fund.