Laidlaw Environmental Services of Nashville, Inc. v. Metropolitan Board of Health for Nashville & Davidson County

934 S.W.2d 40, 1996 Tenn. App. LEXIS 161
CourtCourt of Appeals of Tennessee
DecidedMarch 13, 1996
StatusPublished
Cited by16 cases

This text of 934 S.W.2d 40 (Laidlaw Environmental Services of Nashville, Inc. v. Metropolitan Board of Health for Nashville & Davidson County) is published on Counsel Stack Legal Research, covering Court of Appeals of Tennessee primary law. Counsel Stack provides free access to over 12 million legal documents including statutes, case law, regulations, and constitutions.

Bluebook
Laidlaw Environmental Services of Nashville, Inc. v. Metropolitan Board of Health for Nashville & Davidson County, 934 S.W.2d 40, 1996 Tenn. App. LEXIS 161 (Tenn. Ct. App. 1996).

Opinions

OPINION

TODD, Presiding Judge, Middle Section.

The captioned plaintiff has appealed from the judgment of the Trial Court affirming the administrative action of the captioned Board reversing the previous action of the Director of the Metropolitan Department of Health in renewing six permits previously issued for operation of a waste disposal plant. The other captioned parties initiated and prosecuted the administrative proceedings before the Board to reverse the renewal of the permits and actively defended the action of the Board in the Trial Court and this Court.

The issues presented by the parties require a thorough review of the background of the present controversy.

The subject plant was constructed in 1990 by Oseo Treatment Systems, Inc. In June, 1991, the Director of Health issued six annual permits for operating the plant and the plant began operations consisting of converting hazardous wastewater. Copies of said permits are not found in the record, but it appears from the renewal licenses that various activities were authorized to neutralize and to separate metals, oils and other toxic wastes and ship them to other disposal sites. The remaining wastewater was to be rendered non-hazardous in biological treatment tanks and discharged into the public sewer system. Annual permits for this operation were renewed in June, 1992, by the Director of Health; and Oseo Treatment Systems, Inc. continued the operation.

On December 23, 1992, Oseo Treatment Systems, Inc., became a subsidiary of plaintiff, Laidlaw Environmental Services of Nashville, Inc.

On February 26, 1993, the Director of the Health Department issued the following order:

THE METROPOLITAN GOVERNMENT OF NASHVILLE AND DAVIDSON COUNTY, TENNESSEE
Acting By and Through
THE METROPOLITAN BOARD OF HEALTH
IN THE MATTER OF
THE METROPOLITAN DEPARTMENT OF
HEALTH, FREDIA S. WADLEY, M.D., DIRECTOR OF HEALTH,
Complainant,
vs.
OSCO TREATMENT SYSTEMS, INC., Respondent.
Case No. A-93-001
ORDER
Pursuant to the authority of Tennessee Code Annotated Sections 68-25-101, et seq. and the Code of Laws of The Metropolitan Government of Nashville and Davidson County Chapter 10.56, the Metropolitan Department of Health (“Department”) has issued the following Order:
FINDINGS OF FACT
1. OSCO Treatment Systems, Inc., (“Respondent”) is the owner and/or operator of a wastewater treatment facility located at 7230 Centennial Place, Nashville, Tennessee. The Respondent is a “person” within the meaning of Section 10.56.010 of the Metropolitan Code of Laws “Code” and is thereby subject to the provisions of Section 10.56.170 of the Code.
2. On September 16, 1992, the Department received a complaint regarding odor in the Centennial Boulevard area. Upon investigation, the Department determined that the odor in question was a sulfide type and was emanating from a sodium hydro-sulfide (NaHS) delivery system on Respondent’s premises. According to the Respondent, the NaHS tank was filled with a [42]*42substantial excess of free sulfide which had been introduced into the tank by employees of the Respondent. The ensuing chemical reaction released excess sulfide at a rate exceeding the capacity of the thermal oxidizer odor control system.
3. On numerous occasions during September and October, 1992, the Department received complaints of, and did, in fact, detect, odors in the Centennial Boulevard area. Upon investigation, the Department determined such odors were being generated by bio-sludge stored in various roll-off boxes located on Respondent’s premises. Such fact was confirmed by employees of the Respondent.
4. The Respondent was acquired by Laidlaw Environmental Services, Inc. on December 23, 1992. On the date of acquisition there were approximately ninety roll-off containers which held odiferous bio-sludge material on site.
The order also contains the following:
CONCLUSION OF LAW
1. Respondent has violated Section 10.56.170 of the Code on repeated occasions.
ORDER
IT IS ORDERED that the Respondent is hereby assessed a civil penalty in the amount of One Hundred Fifty Thousand and No/100 Dollars ($150,000.00) for violation of Section 10.56.170 of the Metropolitan Code of Laws. Said penalty shall be paid by certified check, payable to the order of the Metropolitan Department of Health, within thirty (30) days of the executed date of this CONSENT AGREEMENT and shall be mailed or delivered to:....

On April 2, 1993, the Director issued an “Amendment” to the February 26, 1998, order containing the following:

AMENDMENT TO ORDER ASSESSING CIVIL PENALTY
Comes the Director of Health to amend the Order issued on February 26, 1993, assessing a civil penalty in the above-styled matter, by deleting paragraph 3 of said Order and in its place substituting the following paragraph 3.
3. In addition to the incident referenced above, the Department received numerous complaints of, and staff members did in fact, detect, odors in the Centennial Boulevard area on the following dates in October, 1992; December, 1992; January, 1993; February, 1993; and March, 1993:
October 5,1992
October 8,1992 (two occasions)
October 9,1992
October 13,1992 (two occasions)
October 15,1992
December 1,1992 (two occasions)
December 2,1992
December 15,1992
December 17,1992
January 21,1993
February 12,1993
February 16,1993
Upon investigation, staff members of the Health Department determined that the odors originated in bio-sludge stored in various roll-off boxes located on Respondent’s premises. The origin of the odors detected in October, 1992, was confirmed by employees of the Respondent.
THE METROPOLITAN GOVERNMENT OF NASHVILLE AND DAVIDSON COUNTY DEPARTMENT OF HEALTH
/s/_ FREDIA S. WADLEY, M.D. Director of Health Dated: April 2,1993

On April 28, 1993, plaintiff applied for renewal of the six permits for operation of the plant. On June 28, 1993, after inspection of the plant, the Director of Health renewed the permits.

Each of the six permits describes a specific “Emission Source” and specific “Emission Points” with specified conditions of operation. A copy of Permit No. 6-1, is attached to this opinion as “Exhibit A.”

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934 S.W.2d 40, 1996 Tenn. App. LEXIS 161, Counsel Stack Legal Research, https://law.counselstack.com/opinion/laidlaw-environmental-services-of-nashville-inc-v-metropolitan-board-of-tennctapp-1996.