Tag: Incident
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Coleman Oil has been charged over $189,000 in fines for spilling more than 3,840 gallons of biodiesel into the Columbia river and nearby areas.
The cause of the spill was the result of a corroded underground pipe that was laid at Coleman Oil’s oil plant in 1935. Coleman Oil did not complete their regular inventory control procedures or underground piping industry standard inspections which caused the corrosion and leak to go undetected. The biodiesel leaked into the Columbia river which caused an on and off sheen on the rivers surface.
The Department of Ecology Spills Program responded to the site on March 17, 2017 when the visible sheen was first reported. Tests were conducted and lab results identified the pollution as biodiesel. The Department of Ecology was able to trace the leak back to the Coleman Oil facility located near the river. According to Dale Jensen, the manager for the Department of Ecology Spills Program, the spill “could easily have been prevented if the company had been properly monitoring the fuel level in that tank.”
Coleman Oil’s oil plant in Wenatchee is now a toxic cleanup site. According to news sources, the company has been cooperative and responsive during the investigation and has worked on site cleanup since October 2017. Additionally, groundwater monitoring wells are installed and regularly sample the groundwater to verify how much contamination remains and pump out any remaining toxic contaminants to protect the river. According to the Department of Ecology, the investigation will continue and they will verify whether the river’s sediment or surrounding ground is contaminated from the spill.
Coleman Oil has been charged $189.000 in fines in addition to $213,400 to be paid to the state for spill response costs. The resource damage assessment, environmental restoration costs, enhancement project costs, and additional funding costs are still to be determined. The total state penalty including the cost reimbursement and damage assessment are expected to total more than $1 million. All funds collected from the penalty are to be put towards the state’s Coastal Protection Fund.
If you haven’t been keeping up with your State and Federal compliance requirements or if you’re struggling to understand your requirements, leave us a comment or call us at 888-400-3511.
Read the original story here: http://www.kpq.com/coleman-oil-could-face-1-million-in-fines-and-damages-for-columbia-river-spill/
The Warren County Airport located in McMinnville, Tennessee was inspected by the Tennessee Department of Environment and Conservation (TDEC) on June 27th, 2018. TDEC found a release detection violation within the airport’s Underground Storage Tank (UST) systems. According to TDEC’s records, the airport “was missing six months of release detection records”. Additionally, the airport was unable to provide records for the Automatic Tank Gauge’s (ATG) alarm history at the time of the inspection – a direct violation of State regulations.
While the airport was able to submit documentation of these records, they were received documentation on September 20th, 2018 – after the initial inspection was concluded.
TDEC has ordered the Warren County Airport to pay a civil penalty of $3,200, though the airport may make an early payment or undertake UST training to lessen the civil penalty amount.
Read the entire news release written by Walter Wright here: https://www.jdsupra.com/legalnews/storage-tank-enforcement-tennessee-91680/
Cope’s Supermarket Inc. and Norma Jean Cope in Ravenswood, West Virginia are tied up in a non-compliance lawsuit that could cost the companies up to $25,000 per day in damages. The lawsuit is spearheaded by Harold D. Ward, the acting director of the Division of Water and Waste Management of the West Virginia Department of Environmental Protection.
According to the WV DEP office, the defendants own and operate three underground storage tanks in Ravenswood and have failed to correct documented violations that were reported back in 2016. The consequences of this lawsuit could result in civil penalties of up to “$25,000 per day for continued noncompliance and $10,000 per day all other violations of the USTA, costs, disbursements, attorney, witness and consultant fees, and other relief as the court deems just”.
If you’re struggling to navigate the EPA’s newest regulations, we’d be happy to explain both the federal and state UST requirements. We pride ourselves in covering the entire compliance supply chain from fulfilling your monthly and yearly physical inspection requirements to obtaining valuable data related to your site inefficiencies. More often than not, our services reduce your overhead costs and save you time, money, and stress. For more information or to ask us any compliance-related questions, please contact us at info@7g-enviro.com or call us at 888-400-3511.
To read more and continue to monitor these lawsuits, see the original article here: https://wvrecord.com/stories/511619503-wvdep-director-alleges-ravenswood-underground-tank-owners-failed-to-comply-with-order“
A Sunoco station in Philadelphia has agreed to pay $22,080 in penalties due to not meeting the UST’s leak detection and recordkeeping compliance requirements between 2015 and 2017. As part of the agreement, the Sunoco is now within the State and Federal compliance requirements.
The EPA’s UST regulations are intended to protect the public from a contaminated or a polluted water supply. If a UST malfunctions and a leak is detected, it endangers the health and safety of surrounding neighborhoods.
For site owners still scrambling after the October 13th deadline, we’re here to help! We complete over 2,000 inspections a month and we have over fifty years combined experience in the fuel compliance industry. Our team of professionals can help you navigate both your federal and state requirements to minimize your site’s non-compliance risk.
To speak to one of our compliance experts, call us at 888-400-3511 or email us at info@7g-enviro.com.
Read the original article here: https://www.petrolplaza.com/news/9635
In Fenton, Michigan lied the old Fairbanks gas station that was once a Marathon. It had been in the Fairbanks family for over 55 years when the station closed down in 2003 and was finally demolished in early October 2018.
A petroleum leak was first found at the station’s Underground Storage Tank (UST) site in 2015 after a follow-up investigation years after the station’s closure in 2003. According to investigators and the Tri-County Times press release, the contents in the UST taken after the initial investigation surpassed the Department of Licensing and Regulatory Affairs (LARA) limits.
The investigation showed the surrounding soil and groundwater was contaminated and had migrated off-site. The settlement agreement concluded in May 2018 with the landowner responsible for resolving the cleanup obligations. Also, the agreement allowed the DEQ to initiate site cleanup and work began in September 2018.
Clean-up and restoration activities include removal of the UST’s and contaminated soil and asbestos building materials. In addition to removal, sheet piling will be installed to ensure that the excavation efforts do not damage roadways or pavement. The total removal, cleanup, and demolition will total $595,000. Once cleanup efforts conclude, the site will continue to be monitored for leak detection and soil contamination for a year after excavation. Once their initial investigation concludes, the DEQ will create a report documenting the release available in January 2019.
Sources: https://www.tctimes.com/news/deq-cleaning-up-leak-at-old-fairbanks-gas-station/article_bf9ef8c2-dec7-11e8-a096-f70ddb84fe93.html http://lindenmi.us/index.php/news/216-remediation-at-former-fairbanks-marathon.html