Statement
Statement from the Montgomery County Department of Environmental Protection on Resolution of Emission Exceedances at County's Resource Recovery Facility
For Immediate Release: Friday 10 April
"As part of our ongoing commitment to inform the public about the recent exceedances of dioxins and furans at the County’s Resource Recovery Facility (RRF), the Montgomery County Department of Environmental Protection (DEP) is providing an update on current conditions.
Reworld Montgomery, Inc. (Reworld), the operator of the County’s Resource Recovery Facility (RRF), has completed repairs and refurbishment for the three boiler units and confirmed that dioxin/furan emissions have returned to levels below regulatory limits. The post-repair results for dioxins/furans are detailed below:
Resource Recovery Facility’s Compliance Testing for Average Dioxins and Furans Emissions
Unit | Test Dates | DEP Received Final Results | Final Test Results (ng/dscm @ 7% O₂) | Permit Limit (ng/dscm @ 7% O₂) | Within Limit? |
Unit 1 | Feb 25-26, 2026 | Mar 17, 2026 | 1.33 | 30 | Yes, 96% below |
Unit 2 | Mar 17–18, 2026 | April 7, 2026 | 0.89 | 30 | Yes, 97% below |
Unit 3 | Jan 22–23, 2026 | Mar 17, 2026 | 1.43 | 30 | Yes, 95% below |
DEP has formally engaged a risk assessor to conduct an assessment of the potential impact of the dioxins/furans exceedances and will share the results with the public when they are available. We expect an initial document in April explaining the relevant EPA limit for dioxins/furans and providing context on how it was established. The final assessment is currently on track to be released in fall of this year."
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Release ID: 26-013