The city manager met with more than two dozen residents May 21 at Benninghofen Park in Lindenwald. He said for more than a year, neighbors have reported particles accumulating on their homes and vehicles, which they believe originate from USALCO, a company that specializes in water and wastewater treatment chemistry and offers premium alumina-based solutions.
“What’s happening here is unacceptable,” said Bucheit, telling the residents they “have every right to be concerned for your health and your property.”
Bucheit said the city will do everything it can to help the residents “and hold those responsible accountable.”
USALCO was issued a warning letter from SWOAQA in November from James Nymberg, an environmental compliance specialist. That letter outlined the complaints, acknowledging two SWOAQA inspections of the facility at 3700 Dixie Highway, one on March 4, 2024, and the other on Sept. 9 “to follow-up to numerous air quality complaints regarding particulate fallout” in the Lindenwald neighborhood, which is across the street from USALCO.
During the Sept. 9 inspection, a known sample of alumina was collected from a storage pile. Then inspectors went to the Lindenwald neighborhood and collected an unknown sample of the particulate that’s on the homes and vehicles.
Samples were analyzed by the Hamilton County Crime Lab, and on Nov. 4, both were identified as “comprised of mostly aluminum.”
“Based on field observations and sample analysis, SWOAQA believes that particulate fallout from USALCO accumulated on nearby residential properties,” Nymberg wrote, indicating USALCO had 30 days “to investigate the cause of the particulate fallout and identify action items to address the issues.”
Nymberg also emphasized that “the emission or escape into the open air from any source or sources whatsoever...in such amounts as to endanger the health, safety or welfare of the public, or cause unreasonable injury or damage to property, is hereby found and declared to be a public nuisance.“
Additionally, he wrote, “It shall be unlawful for any person to cause, permit or maintain any such public nuisance.”
USALCO Plant Manager Les Gibson wrote on Dec. 14 the company would take several steps to correct out-of-compliance issues. These improvements include, among other measures:
- Improved preventive maintenance on what’s called a JVS-scrubber system and re-testing the scrubber system
- Conduct new tests of other emission points for compliance; review with the EPA the need for additional permitting for the aluminum trihydrate movements and storage piles
- Install covered storage of the aluminum trihydrate outdoor storage pile
“We believe that we can correct any non-compliant issues with these actions and other corrective actions that may arise from our additional testing and investigation and consulting,” wrote Gibson.
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