Most of the municipal solid waste from Harford County is converted into renewable energy at a facility known as the Harford Waste-to-Energy Facility (HWTEF). The steam generated currently provides about 50% of the steam needs of the Edgewood Area of APG. Without this steam, the Army would have to burn oil or gas.

The HWTEF was developed for Harford County by the Northeast Maryland Waste Disposal Authority (the Authority) under its revenue bond financing authority. The facility is owned by the Authority on behalf of Harford County and operated by Energy Recovery Operations, Inc. (EROI). Harford County controls all tonnage processed in the HWTEF.

In the facility, waste is combusted in a controlled two-stage thermal oxidation process. The heat released is used to make steam from water and the steam is piped to the Edgewood Area of APG for use in heating and cooling buildings. The U.S. Government purchases the steam under a supporting long-term commitment which contributes to the relatively low scheduled net cost to Harford County.

The existing HWTEF sits on a 13-acre parcel of land leased from the Aberdeen Proving Grounds, situated immediately outside of the Magnolia Road Gate, at the southern entrance of the Edgewood Area. The site is made available through a long-term lease to the Northeast Maryland Waste Disposal Authority from the U.S. Government. The term of the lease expires March 17, 2016.

The types of material processed at the facility are governed by Federal law, Maryland law, and County law. Acceptable waste consists of household and commercial garbage, trash, rubbish and refuse of the kinds normally collected or disposed of in the County as a result of residential and commercial waste collection practices required by the County.

The HWTEF operates under several Maryland permits - including a Refuse Disposal Permit and a Title V Air permit - both issued by the Maryland Department of the Environment. These permits are active and renewed periodically. The owner (Northeast Maryland Disposal Authority on behalf of Harford County Government) has guaranteed to meet all environmental regulations. Stormwater management on the relatively flat site includes two ponds. There is no liquid discharge from the processing operations on the site. All waste and residue are maintained indoors and any liquids draining from either stored MSW, from the process itself, or from stored residue are recycled back into facility processes.

In 2003 the EPA finalized the amendments to the Clean Air Act requirements for small municipal waste combustors. These amendments required all small MWC facilities to upgrade the pollution control equipment prior to November 6, 2005. Construction on improved air pollution control equipment was completed by the required date, and the system is in operation. The anticipated remaining service life of the facility can be assessed on the basis of contractual provisions together with performance considerations. The normal useful life of such facilities is at least 30 years, and the existing steam contract expires in 2017.

Ash residue, the byproduct of combustion, generated by the facility is tested in accordance with guidelines promulgated by USEPA in 1994. The data from the tests conducted in accordance with the USEPA guidelines characterized the ash residue as nonhazardous.

Harford County has determined that the facility does not fully meet current or future waste disposal requirements and has directed the Authority to evaluate options for expansion or replacement of the HWTEF.

The existing combustion and process equipment will approach its projected service life in 2016, suggesting that major system upgrades would be necessary within the next ten years. Since the present facility provides only about half of the Army's Edgewood Area steam needs and since additional steam transmission lines can be replaced or upgraded to supply the remaining steam needs, expanding the facility is economically feasible.

Expansion of the capacity of the HWTEF is planned as a state of the art replacement mass burn waste to energy facility with a nameplate capacity of 1500 TPD. The replacement facility will continue to be the primary solid waste acceptance and processing facility for the County. Under the terms of a Memorandum of Understanding between Harford County, Baltimore County, and Authority, the Authority will develop, construct and operate the facility adjacent to the current HWTEF on additional property to be leased from the APG. Both Harford County and Baltimore County will have a 50 percent allocation of the processing capacity of the expanded HWTEF, and each County will be responsible for management and disposal of the proportional amount of ash residue. An anticipated agreement will provide for sale of energy, both electricity and steam, to APG. The expanded HWTEF will be equipped with air pollution control equipment meeting all State and Federal standards and regulations, and will include provisions for recovery of ferrous and non-ferrous metals from the ash residue.

NOTE: As part of establishing a new lease agreement between the Army and the Authority for an approximate 34 acre parcel of land, the Army has prepared an Environmental Assessment (EA) in accordance with the National Environmental Policy Act (NEPA). The EA evaluates the potential environmental consequences of the proposed the action. The EA was prepared after conducting a public scoping meeting on October 28, 2008, and was revised and made final after a public meeting was held on February 18, 2009. Comments received during the public meeting, and written comments received during the comment period, were considered when preparing the final report. The comments and responses are included in the final report. Click here to review the Final Environmental Assessment.