The Delaware Valley Resource Recovery Facility is a trash incineration plant located in Chester, Pennsylvania. The waste-to-energy plant, which incinerates waste to generate power, was built and operated by Westinghouse from 1991 to 1997. It is currently operated by Covanta. a Morristown, New Jersey-based publicly-traded industrial waste company, and has been criticized for the level of pollution it produces. The plant has the largest capacity of any waste-to-energy plant in the United States.
The Delaware Valley Resource Recovery Facility was built in 1991 by Westinghouse Corporation and operated by the firm until 1997. It has been operated by Covanta since 2005, first leasing and later buying the facility from GE Energy Financial Services for $94 million in 2012.[1] The plant is one of the largest trash incineration plants in the United States and has the greatest maximum daily burning capacity (3,510 tons) of any plant in the country.[2] The facility contains six rotary combustors feeding a 90 megawatt turbine generator.[3] The facility is provided water by the Delaware County Regional Water Authority (DELCORA) and funnels its wastewater to a DELCORA treatment plant adjacent to the recovery center's property.[3]
The facility intakes municipal waste from several cities on the East Coast, including nearby Philadelphia, New York City, and cities in New Jersey. The plant's intake increased after the China waste import ban began in early 2018.[4]
According to Covanta, the facility has a waste processing capacity of 3,500 tons per day with a maximum power output of 87 megawatts.[5]
Historyedit
In 1988, the mayor of Chester, Willie Mae James Leake, and her administration developed plans to build a large trash incinerator able to handle 4,000 tons of trash a day. Meanwhile, Delaware County officials contracted with the Westinghouse Corporation to develop a more modestly sized incinerator in Chester.[6]
While Chester officials argued that their plans for a trash incinerator were safer for residents than the one planned by Delaware County, there was also a major difference in finances where the Chester developed plant would have meant $34 million in profit for the city, while the Delaware County developed plant would only provide $2 million annually.[6]
A major public confrontation occurred between proponents of the city and county plans on April 27, 1988, at a public hearing sponsored by the Pennsylvania Department of Environmental Resources (DER). Hundreds of angry Chester residents gathered in the Chester High School auditorium along with Leake and Pennsylvania representative Robert C. Wright.[6]
On October 25, 1988, Chester city council signed an agreement to allow the development of the county sponsored Westinghouse trash incinerator plant in Chester with Leake abstaining. The groundbreaking for the new incinerator plant occurred on December 15, 1988.[6] The plant opened in the summer of 1991[7] and was operated by Westinghouse until 1997.[8]
The subsequent mayor of Chester, Barbara Bohannan-Sheppard, led efforts seeking environmental justice for the residents of Chester. She coordinated a town meeting of Chester residents, government officials, industry representatives, Environmental Protection Agency representatives and Pennsylvania Department of Environmental Protection representatives to raise concerns about pollution, noise and trucks associated with the placement of the Westinghouse Corporation trash incinerator in Chester.[7] Bohannan-Sheppard argued that the addition of a contaminated soil remediation facility along with the Westinghouse trash incinerator, the DELCORA sewage waste treatment center and the Abbonizio Recycling facility[9] resulted in "environmental apartheid" for the residents of majority African-American Chester.[10]
Pollutionedit
The Delaware Valley Resource Recovery Facility has been criticized for emitting relatively high levels of pollution; several sources name the plant as one of the most polluting waste-to-energy facilities in the United States.[2][11] A report published by PBS on the Chester facility compared the facility to other plants owned by Covanta and concluded that the facility was one of the dirtiest operated by the company. The PBS report also cited a 2009 inspection of the plant by the EPA to conclude that Covanta had not installed mercury and NOx control systems at the Chester facility.[11]
Data released by the EPA in 2014 indicated that the plant produced more NOx and SO2 than any other waste-to-energy plant in the state of Pennsylvania, only being surpassed in emissions by aging coal power plants.[11]
^Milman, Oliver (2019-02-21). "'Moment of reckoning': US cities burn recyclables after China bans imports". The Guardian. ISSN 0261-3077. Retrieved 2020-04-23.
^"Covanta Delaware Valley - Covanta". www.covanta.com. Retrieved 2020-04-23.
^ abcdWalsh, Edward J. (November 2010). Don't Burn it Here: Grassroots Challenges to Trash Incinerators. University Park, Pennsylvania: The Pennsylvania State University Press. pp. 75–81. ISBN978-0-271-01663-4. Retrieved 12 May 2018.
^ abRigell, Laura. "Chester residents blockade Westinghouse incinerator, United States, 1992-1994". www.nvdatabase.swarthmore.edu. Retrieved 19 May 2018.
^Murray, Andy. "Waste Treatment Facilities in Chester". www.ejnet.org. Retrieved 12 May 2018.
^Foster, Sheila. "Justice from the Ground Up: Distributive Inequities, Grassroots Resistance, and the Transformative Politics of the Environmental Justice Movement". www.ir.lawnet.fordham.edu. Retrieved 19 May 2018.
^Wallace, Mark I. (2005). Finding God in the Singing River: Christianity, Spirit, Nature. Minnesota: Fortress Press. p. 64. ISBN0-8006-3726-7. Retrieved 19 May 2018.
^ abc"Too Much Pollution for One Place". www.pbs.org. Retrieved 2020-04-23.
October 26, 2023
delaware, valley, resource, recovery, facility, trash, incineration, plant, located, chester, pennsylvania, waste, energy, plant, which, incinerates, waste, generate, power, built, operated, westinghouse, from, 1991, 1997, currently, operated, covanta, morrist. The Delaware Valley Resource Recovery Facility is a trash incineration plant located in Chester Pennsylvania The waste to energy plant which incinerates waste to generate power was built and operated by Westinghouse from 1991 to 1997 It is currently operated by Covanta a Morristown New Jersey based publicly traded industrial waste company and has been criticized for the level of pollution it produces The plant has the largest capacity of any waste to energy plant in the United States Delaware Valley Resource Recovery FacilityCountryUnited StatesLocationChester PennsylvaniaCoordinates39 49 35 N 75 23 18 W 39 82632 N 75 38842 W 39 82632 75 38842StatusOperationalCommission date1991Owner s CovantaOperator s Covanta EnergyThermal power stationPrimary fuelMunicipal wasteTurbine technologyIncineration edit on Wikidata Contents 1 Description 2 History 3 Pollution 4 See also 5 ReferencesDescription editThe Delaware Valley Resource Recovery Facility was built in 1991 by Westinghouse Corporation and operated by the firm until 1997 It has been operated by Covanta since 2005 first leasing and later buying the facility from GE Energy Financial Services for 94 million in 2012 1 The plant is one of the largest trash incineration plants in the United States and has the greatest maximum daily burning capacity 3 510 tons of any plant in the country 2 The facility contains six rotary combustors feeding a 90 megawatt turbine generator 3 The facility is provided water by the Delaware County Regional Water Authority DELCORA and funnels its wastewater to a DELCORA treatment plant adjacent to the recovery center s property 3 The facility intakes municipal waste from several cities on the East Coast including nearby Philadelphia New York City and cities in New Jersey The plant s intake increased after the China waste import ban began in early 2018 4 According to Covanta the facility has a waste processing capacity of 3 500 tons per day with a maximum power output of 87 megawatts 5 History editIn 1988 the mayor of Chester Willie Mae James Leake and her administration developed plans to build a large trash incinerator able to handle 4 000 tons of trash a day Meanwhile Delaware County officials contracted with the Westinghouse Corporation to develop a more modestly sized incinerator in Chester 6 While Chester officials argued that their plans for a trash incinerator were safer for residents than the one planned by Delaware County there was also a major difference in finances where the Chester developed plant would have meant 34 million in profit for the city while the Delaware County developed plant would only provide 2 million annually 6 A major public confrontation occurred between proponents of the city and county plans on April 27 1988 at a public hearing sponsored by the Pennsylvania Department of Environmental Resources DER Hundreds of angry Chester residents gathered in the Chester High School auditorium along with Leake and Pennsylvania representative Robert C Wright 6 On October 25 1988 Chester city council signed an agreement to allow the development of the county sponsored Westinghouse trash incinerator plant in Chester with Leake abstaining The groundbreaking for the new incinerator plant occurred on December 15 1988 6 The plant opened in the summer of 1991 7 and was operated by Westinghouse until 1997 8 The subsequent mayor of Chester Barbara Bohannan Sheppard led efforts seeking environmental justice for the residents of Chester She coordinated a town meeting of Chester residents government officials industry representatives Environmental Protection Agency representatives and Pennsylvania Department of Environmental Protection representatives to raise concerns about pollution noise and trucks associated with the placement of the Westinghouse Corporation trash incinerator in Chester 7 Bohannan Sheppard argued that the addition of a contaminated soil remediation facility along with the Westinghouse trash incinerator the DELCORA sewage waste treatment center and the Abbonizio Recycling facility 9 resulted in environmental apartheid for the residents of majority African American Chester 10 Pollution editThe Delaware Valley Resource Recovery Facility has been criticized for emitting relatively high levels of pollution several sources name the plant as one of the most polluting waste to energy facilities in the United States 2 11 A report published by PBS on the Chester facility compared the facility to other plants owned by Covanta and concluded that the facility was one of the dirtiest operated by the company The PBS report also cited a 2009 inspection of the plant by the EPA to conclude that Covanta had not installed mercury and NOx control systems at the Chester facility 11 Data released by the EPA in 2014 indicated that the plant produced more NOx and SO2 than any other waste to energy plant in the state of Pennsylvania only being surpassed in emissions by aging coal power plants 11 See also editList of power stations in PennsylvaniaReferences edit Covanta Buys Delaware Valley Resource Recovery Plant Waste Today Retrieved 2021 03 31 a b Camden Chester incinerators among nation s most polluting report finds WHYY Retrieved 2020 04 23 a b DELAWARE RIVER BASIN COMMISSION Covanta Delaware Valley LP Electric Generating or Cogenerating Consumptive Use Chester City Delaware County Pennsylvania DOCKET NO D 2011 003 CP 2 URL https www state nj us drbc library documents dockets 031021 2011 003CP 2 pdf Milman Oliver 2019 02 21 Moment of reckoning US cities burn recyclables after China bans imports The Guardian ISSN 0261 3077 Retrieved 2020 04 23 Covanta Delaware Valley Covanta www covanta com Retrieved 2020 04 23 a b c d Walsh Edward J November 2010 Don t Burn it Here Grassroots Challenges to Trash Incinerators University Park Pennsylvania The Pennsylvania State University Press pp 75 81 ISBN 978 0 271 01663 4 Retrieved 12 May 2018 a b Rigell Laura Chester residents blockade Westinghouse incinerator United States 1992 1994 www nvdatabase swarthmore edu Retrieved 19 May 2018 Murray Andy Waste Treatment Facilities in Chester www ejnet org Retrieved 12 May 2018 Foster Sheila Justice from the Ground Up Distributive Inequities Grassroots Resistance and the Transformative Politics of the Environmental Justice Movement www ir lawnet fordham edu Retrieved 19 May 2018 Wallace Mark I 2005 Finding God in the Singing River Christianity Spirit Nature Minnesota Fortress Press p 64 ISBN 0 8006 3726 7 Retrieved 19 May 2018 a b c Too Much Pollution for One Place www pbs org Retrieved 2020 04 23 Retrieved from https en wikipedia org w index php title Delaware Valley Resource Recovery Facility amp oldid 1176556027, wikipedia, wiki, book, books, library,
