Kentucky Division of Waste Management Releases Fiscal Year 2012 Annual Report

See ways the Kentucky Division of Waste Management worked to serve the people of the Commonwealth in fiscal year 2012 (July 1, 2011 to June 30, 2012). This annual report includes highlights and accomplishments for the following branches within the division:

• Solid Waste Branch
• Recycling and Local Assistance Branch
• Hazardous Waste Branch
• Field Operations Branch
• Underground Storage Tank Branch
• Superfund Branch
• Program Planning and Administration Branch

The division continues to implement its core responsibilities of 1) assisting in the minimization of waste generation and land disposal of wastes, 2) working to increase recycling and the beneficial reuse of materials that might otherwise be disposed, 3) continuing the closure and remediation of

Department Completes Fiscal Year 2012 Annual Reports

The Kentucky Department for Environmental Protection (KYDEP) is pleased to announce the completion of its 2012 annual reports. Each year, the six agency divisions, the Division of Water, the Division of Waste Management, the Division of Air Quality, the Division of Enforcement, the Division of Compliance Assistance and the Division of Environmental Program Support develop these reports to provide a transparent look into the agency’s activities and environmental accomplishments over the past fiscal year. These reports, as well as previous versions can be found at http://dep.ky.gov/Pages/AnnualReports.aspx.

Public Comment Sought On Report About Laurel, Little Laurel Stream Impairments

The Energy and Environment Cabinet is seeking public comment until Sept. 21 on a draft report addressing bacteria impairments in 11 stream segments within the Laurel and Little Laurel watersheds located in Laurel County.

The Clean Water Act requires each state to periodically identify specific waters where designated uses are not being met and water quality impairments exist. The state is also required to prioritize the list of impaired waters, calculate a Total Maximum Daily Load (TMDL) of pollutants for those waters and devise plans to improve the water quality.

The report, prepared by the Kentucky Division of Water, addresses bacteria impairments in the 11 stream segments that make them impaired for the primary contact recreation (swimming) designated use. The report includes data and procedures used to calculate the TMDLs for the stream segments. This report also includes six stream segments that have not been previously listed as impaired. Public comment is being sought on both the TMDL and the new listings.

Revisions to the reports may be made following the public comment period and before they are sent to the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency for approval.

The reports may be viewed on the Division of Water Web site at   http://water.ky.gov/Pages/PublicNotices.aspx. Comments should be sent in writing to Eric Liebenauer, Division of Water, 200 Fair Oaks Lane, Fourth Floor, Frankfort, KY 40601 or by e-mail to Eric.Liebenauer@ky.gov.

Hazardous Waste Management Fund Report Released

The Hazardous Waste Management Fund (HWMF) was created by the General Assembly to provide the Energy and Environment Cabinet (Cabinet) with the funds necessary to protect the health of the citizens and environment of the Commonwealth from threats associated with releases of hazardous substances, pollutants and contaminants. Since 1980, nearly $50 million has been spent specifically for cleanup of more than 550 contaminated sites, making the Commonwealth of Kentucky a cleaner and safer place to live. The HWMF also has cumulatively provided more than $7.1 million in funding for the Kentucky Pollution Prevention Center (KPPC).