Texas Organic Recovery Compost Facility
Creedmoor, Texas

The Texas Organic Recovery Compost Facility in southeast Travis County used source-separated yard and tree trimmings as a bulking agent with feedstocks of municipal sewage sludge, septage, and grease trap waste in static pile and designed windrow processes to produce a Grade 1 compost product for bulk sale. In 1998, the site procured an existing registration to operate a compost facility using sludge, septage, and grease trap waste feedstocks.

Thonhoff Consulting Engineers (TCE) developed and submitted an application to Texas Commission on Environmental Quality (TCEQ) for issuance of a permit for operation at the composting facility because of rule changes regarding the use of grease trap waste feedstock. This permit application updated the site operating plan and obtained TCEQ staff approval. TCE provided engineering technical support and expert testimony because of a protest and resulting State Office of Administration Hearing (SOAH) case. This first permit application was denied eventually for lack of prior historical construction records from the original 1998 construction.

TCE subsequently submitted a new registration application to TCEQ for processing grease trap waste and a new permit application for both composting of septage, sludge, and grease trap waste feed stocks and grease trap waste processing. TCE also developed and submitted to TCEQ substantiation of the existing in-situ liner and existing and proposed constructed liner with geotechnical testing backup. TCEQ issued both the new registration and permit.

Services Provided: Application for and Obtaining of both Facility Registration and Facility Permit, Expert Testimony at SOAH, Application for Registration Modification, Preliminary Engineering Reports, Environmental Reports, Design Phase, Construction Phase.