Document NG0BxoVzZKMwvyBE7zBGNNEx8

U.S. Environmental Protection Agency, Region 4 61 Forsyth Street SW, Atlanta, GA 30303 Water Compliance Inspection Report FACILITY DATA NPDES ID: Effective Date: Expiration Date: Facility Name: Baston Monuments, Inc SIC Code: 3281 Address: 1141 Old Middleton Rd, Elberton, GA 30635 On-Site Representative(s), Title, Phone Number: Responsible Official, Title, Phone Number, Mailing Address: Michael Baston, President 1141 Old Middleton Rd Elberton, GA 30635 baston@elberton.net Michael Baston, President 1141 Old Middleton Rd Elberton, GA 30635 baston@elberton.net INSPECTION ENTRY DATES/TIMES Entry Date/Time: 12/07/21, 10:15 am Exit Date/Time: 12/07/21, 12:45 pm NAMES OF EPA AND STATE INSPECTORS EPA, Region IV: Ahmad Dromgoole, Mark Robertson, Lonnie Dorn GEPD: Grant Lockman Permit AREAS EVALUATED DURING INSPECTION (Check those areas evaluated) Self-Compliance Program Pretreatment Records/ Records Compliance Schedule Pollution Prevention X Facility Site Review Laboratory X Storm Water Effluent/ Receiving Waters Operations & Maintenance Combined Sewer Overflow Flow Measurement Sludge Handling/ Disposal Sanitary Sewer Overflow INSPECTION NOTES The inspection team arrived at the facility on 12/07/21 to perform an industrial stormwater inspection of the Baston Monuments facility to evaluate the facility's potential need for NPDES permit coverage. Upon arrival, the inspection team met with Michael Baston, presented inspector credentials, and provided an introduction. Upon completion of the inspection, an exit conference was held with facility personnel. EPA REPRESENTATIVES Inspector Signature/Name Office/Phone Number Date MARK Digitally signed by MARK ROBERTSON ROBERTSON 13:28:49 -05'00' Date: 2022.01.07 Mark Robertson, Environmental Engineer USEPA Region 4/ECAD-WEB-WWES 404-562-9639 Management Signature/Name Office/Phone Number Date Dromgoole, Ahmad Digitally signed by Dromgoole, Ahmad Date: 2022.01.07 12:47:00 -05'00' Ahmad Dromgoole, Acting Section Chief USEPA Region 4/ECAD-WEB-WWES 404-562-9212 Page 1 of 3 NPDES Industrial Stormwater Worksheet (Georgia) 1. FACILITY INFORMATION GPS Coordinates 34 5'57.65"N 8250'14.89"W Previous SW Permit and/or Other Media Permits Receiving Water(s), Wetlands, or MS4 Lower Beaverdam Creek Site Acreage & % Impervious Area ~30 acres Type of Ownership Corporation Qualify for No Exposure Exemption N/A SIC Code(s) Description Years in (Primary & Secondary) Operation 3281 ~1996 No. of Hours & Days of Discharge to 303(d) Weather Employee Operation Listed or TMDL Waters Condition 5 days/week Cloudy, rain the 20 employees 1 shift/day N/A prior day 2. FACILITY'S OPERATION & PRODUCT DESCRIPTION and Baston Monuments operates a granite cutting and engraving operation in Elberton, GA. The facility produces stone monuments. Waste material from the process primarily includes cuts of stone, cutting dust/slurry, and dust collected from the blasting process. The facility receives granite slabs and performs various cutting and polishing operations. These cutting and polishing operations are wet processes for which the facility attempts to collect and reuse the process water. The facility has outdoor storage operations for the received stone in addition to waste materials storage along the southern end of the property. Pollutant Sources Outdoor Storage Facilities Outdoor Manufacturing/ Processing Operations 3. SITE EVALUATION Note location, quantitative description, design issue, O&M deficiencies (including the nature and extent), potential pollutant, and pollutants off-site The stone slabs received at the facility are stored outdoor along the east side of the property (see photos DSCN0383-DSCN0384 and DSCN0401). Although most facility processes are located indoors, the facility does have a limited number of outdoor operations. The facility has an outdoor blasting booth (seen in photo DSCN0408) for larger cuts of stone. The dust collection systems associated with both the indoor and outdoor blasting operations is also located outdoors (seen in photo DSCN0407). The dust from the collection systems were collected accumulated in drums prior to it being disposed of at the south end of the property. The facility manages process water from operations in the outdoor holding tanks along the south side of the building. Water from the various indoor cutting and polishing operations is conveyed to the southern end of the building (seen in photos DSCN0387-DSCN03) where it was then directed to one of the process water treatment/holding systems along the south side of the building (seen in photos DSCN0391 and DSCN0393). Waste Treatment/Storage/ Disposal Areas The solids from the process water accumulate in the holding tanks which must be periodically cleaned. The solids removed during the cleaning of the tanks left on the ground to allow to dry. Once dried, the solids are moved to the southern end of the site. Runoff from the solids material storage piles were directed to the retention pond further south (see photos DSCN0395-DSCN0396). The facility disposes of waste material from its process in the low-lying areas on the south side of the property. This waste material includes dust from the collection system associated with the blast operation (seen in photo DSCN0402) and waste stone from the cutting process (seen in photos DSCN0403-DSCN04005). Page 2 of 3 3. SITE EVALUATION Pollutant Sources Note location, quantitative description, design issue, O&M deficiencies (including the nature and extent), potential pollutant, and pollutants off-site Fueling Stations/Equipment Maintenance Areas & The facility has one roughly 200-gal diesel fuel tank on site for equipment refueling (see Cleaning Areas photo DSCN0386). Management of Run-off Controls (storage areas, diversion ditches, dumpsters, secondary containment, & etc.) The process water holding cells on the south side of the building periodically have their solids removed which are stored open piles on the ground so that the material can dry. Runoff from the extracted material drains towards a pond to the south of the storage piles (see photos DSCN0391-DSCN0394). Although a significant amount of process water is reused in the process, a portion of it was observed discharging through a conveyance channel leading south. The observed process water was discharging from the area around the holding tanks and pond on the south end of the site. This flow path, seen in photos DSCN0397-DSCN0400, was observed continuing south towards the tributary to the south. 4. OUTFALL, STORMWATER DISCHARGE & RECEIVING WATER OBSERVATIONS Potential Stormwater Discharges from the site occurred through the conveyance along the west side of the site (seen Discharge Points/Outfall(s) in photo DSCN0397) and sheet flow along the slopes on the south side of the site (seen in photo DSCN0403). Evidence of Off-site Accumulation of Pollutants Observed in Receiving Water & MS4 The receiving stream to the south of the facility was not observed during the inspection. Non-stormwater Discharge The water storage tanks/pond along the south side of the site were used to manage wastewater from the cutting and polishing operations. Discharges/overflows from these Observed ponds would result in the potential commingling of stormwater and process wastewater. Exit interview: At the end of the inspection, an exit meeting was held with Michael Baston (facility President) and Matthew Pruitt (associated with the Elberton Granite Association) where the following observations were provided: 1. The facility's SIC code, believed to be 3281, falls under Sector N of Georgia's NPDES general permit for Storm Water Discharges Associated with Industrial Activities. 2. The facility has outdoor industrial pollutant sources, included the various waste material storage areas, with potential exposure to stormwater. 3. The facility appeared to have discharges by way of the conveyance along the west side of the site and sheet flow from the waste storage area on the southern end of the property. 4. The water from the various cutting and polishing processes, which occur indoors, would be considered process wastewater and therefore not be applicable for coverage under a general permit. Page 3 of 3