START-UP
PROBLEMS • Kevin Kuhni and Gloria Harrison
discuss plant start-up problems with Juab County
Commissioners
By Myrna Trauntvein
Times-News Correspondent
Kevin Kuhni, owner and plant manager of the John Kuhni
Sons, Inc., animal rendering plant in Juab County offered
apologies to Juab County Commissioners and citizens of the
county for offenses racked up by the plant since start-up in
December.
At the first commission meeting in March, held two
weeks ago, commissioners determined that they would not jerk
the license of the rendering facility until they had talked
to Kuhni officials "face-to-face."
Kuhni and Gloria V. Harrison, corporate strategic
accounts executive manager for Ashland Specialty Chemical
Company, Boonton, NJ, were on hand to discuss the problems
the new-to-Juab-County company has encountered since
opening.
"You have taken a tremendous amount of heat," said
Kuhni. "I would like to apologize to you and to our
neighbors."
However, he said, when the plant was opened in
mid-December, only the bare bones were in place. The air
system was not complete.
Now the system was complete, he said.
"Odor should never be an issue again," said Kuhni.
The problem was caused by production delays by the
producer of the equipment which allows chemical to be fed to
the scrubber.
"We were promised the equipment in mid-January and it
showed up in mid-February," he said. "We had some problems
beyond our control."
The equipment is now installed and is functional.
When residents drive by and notice doors to the plant
are open, said Kuhni, they should not be alarmed. The
processing portion of the plant is enclosed in the center of
the building and is not affected by doors being left
open.
A hide processing area is located on the east and a
truck shop is located on the other side, he said. Neither of
those sections has offensive odor.
"Our processing plan is completely enclosed and the
main processing area is the area where the air is scrubbed,"
said Kuhni.
Harrison earned respect from Commissioner Robert
Steele when it was disclosed that she was the one who
oversees the odor at the plant commissioners, Steele among
them, toured an animal rendering facility in Boston.
"I was really pleased with that plant and I was really
impressed," said Steele. No odor escaped the facility.
The animal rendering plant not only was called on the
carpet by commissioners for odor problems, but because
animal waste was dumped into large trenches on the property
which were originally created as percolation test
trenches.
The dumping occurred because of mis-communication with
a truck driver who was reprimanded, said Kuhni. The driver
was responsible for the problem.
The trenches were pumped out after the occurrence was
discovered and were filled in again with earth, said
Kuhni.
The dumping occurred just 100 feet from a water
well.
The bi-product which was dumped, however, is not
considered a hazard nor a waste material by the health
department.
"It is widely recognized as a fertilizer and is used
on farm ground," he said.
However, wastewater escaped from the plant during an
equipment malfunction and drained into a nearby dry creek
bed. The problem was called to the attention of the state
water quality department.
"That issue has been resolved," said Kuhni. "We have
sealed the storm water drain for now."
Wastewater, once hauled in tanker trucks to Provo, is
now being hauled to Moroni in Sanpete County.
"We still need a long-term plan," he said.
The plant is still experiencing condensate problems
and 25,000 gallons of water is hauled away from the plant.
The water, however, is treated before it is discharged. It
is the job of the rollers in the plant to remove oil and
other particulate.
approximately three truck loads a day of the resulting
water are taken from the plant to Moroni.
Truck used for hauling material for the rendering
facility are supposed to meet certain criteria and should
not cause problems. those trucks are inspected in both Davis
and Utah Counties.
"Our trucks are inspected," said Kuhni. "They are
supposed to be leak-proof. The trucks are supposed to be
sealed."
However, Steele said he had seen a trail of waste
blood following a truck and was concerned.
"One lady said a truck was dripping and the material
got on her windshield," said Val Jones, commissioner.
Neil Cook, commission chairman, said he wanted the
plant to be a success in Juab County and wanted there to be
no more problems in the future.
The commission does have the right to revoke the
business license for the plant if there continue to be
non-compliance issues.
"We do want to see you make a success of this," said
Steele. "We know it can be done."
Kuhni said the owners recognized the support of the
commission and wanted to assure commissioners of the
facilities commitment to be good neighbors. They wanted to
keep an open-door policy in place.
Once construction is complete, he said, the commission
will be invited to for a field trip and will be given a tour
of the facility.
"We are still in construction," said Kuhni. "The
railroad spur needed by the company is still to be completed
though that is expected to happen in the next month.
One other problem has been reported to commissioners
by residents of Juab County. That is the appearance of dead
animal carcasses as they are hauled by the company's
drivers.
"Folks don't like to see pieces of animals hanging
over the top of the truck," said Steele.
"We can tarp the animal truck," said Kuhni.
John Kuhni Sons Inc. moved to the town of Mills, 17
miles south of Nephi, after Provo and the State Board of
Business and Economic Development kicked in $4.8 million to
help pay for a move that cost Kuhni's another $1 million out
of its own pocket.
The new plant started operating in December and within
two months' time racked up two violations for illegal
dumping and six for odor problems.
The latest of the odor problems occurred on February
28 but that should no longer occur since all of the
equipment is now on-line and functional.
The rendering plant disposes of carcasses and dead
animal parts from slaughter houses, animal shelters,
agricultural operations, road kill cleanups, meat cutting
facilities, restaurants and veterinary services.
Juab County has sent warning letters to the plant's
managers and could pull the company's business license and
shut the plant down if problems persist.
Kuhni's management says in each of the cases, the
trouble came from the kinds of problems that often go with
starting up a new plant.
|
