Dump closure cited as EPA success story

Environmental Protection Agency Region 9 declared the closure of Saipan’s Puerto Rico Dump as the highlight of its accomplishment report for 2006.

EPA said the agreement to close the Puerto Rico Dump and the hazardous waste settlements in Guam and American Samoa would provide island residents continued enjoyment of cleaner air, water, and land areas.

“EPA will continue working to enforce environmental laws and ensure compliance of environmental regulations to improve public health,” said EPA Pacific Southwest Office administrator Wayne Nastri.

The environmental agency has inked an agreement with the CNMI government that includes a schedule with deadlines for the final closure of the dump, a financing plan, design and construction of final closure, and post-closure monitoring.

EPA said the dump has been a source of water pollution for over 50 years. “At various times, inspectors have observed contaminated storm water and leachate ponding at the dump and flowing into Tanapag Lagoon,” it said.

The final closure will greatly reduce the dump’s adverse impacts to the surrounding ocean ecosystem, it added.

EPA said its enforcement actions in Guam, American Samoa, and CNMI brought environmental and public benefits for the state’s residents as polluters committed to over $14.4 million to correct environmental violations and prevent future pollution on the territories.

This year, EPA’s focus on compliance with hazardous waste, underground storage tanks, and oil spill management regulations made up a majority of the cases for CNMI, Guam, and American Samoa.

Other highlights for this year includes:

– The Guam Shipyard settlement where Guam Shipyard was required to spend $25,000 to create an environmental management system and pay a fine of $19,534 for storage of hazardous waste without a permit. The Guam Shipyard was also cited for its failure to close hazardous waste containers.

– The imposition of a $55,000 fine against the Guam Waterworks Authority for failing to submit a drinking water and wastewater disposal master plan as stipulated in a 2003 consent order.

– In American Samoa, the settlement with Langkilde Service Station for $10,000 for underground storage tank violations at the facility located in Malaloa Village is to date the largest fine in the Pacific Islands area.

The EPA has been working with the Guam EPA, CNMI Division of Environmental Quality and the American Samoa EPA in continuing the successful compliance and enforcement partnership on the islands.

EPA’s enforcement highlights in the CNMI includes a complaint to determine penalties and enforce compliance against JG Sablan Rock Quarry Inc. for storing used oil in corroded and leaking drums at its Lower Base facility on Saipan.

EPA said the private firm failed to comply with the EPA order issued in May requiring the proper management and disposal of used oil and hazardous waste. “The company also violated the EPA’s spill prevention rules by storing used oil in corroded and leaking containers; not marking containers of used oil; and failing to clean up spilled used oil,” said the EPA report.

Another EPA enforcement achievement was when Pacific Development Inc. was fined $23,650 due to waste storage and disposal violations. It was reported that inspections at the company’s auto and bus service shop in June 2003 and March 2004 found improperly stored and labeled containers holding used oil and solvents. PDI also failed to respond and clean up a used oil spill.

In Guam, the increase in the fine to the Guam Department of Public Works by $5,500 for continuing to miss the deadline to submit plans and a permit application for the island’s new municipal solid waste landfillalso made it to this year’s biggest enforcement accomplishments for the region. EPA said in February, the EPA assessed a $2,000 fine and because the Guam DPW did not submit the required plan and permit application, an additional fine was assessed.

Also in Guam, the underground tank inspections have been considered significant accomplishments this year. The US EPA and Guam EPA conducted 28 inspections in Guam and found 19 violations that released five citations for a total of $2,150 in penalties for the facilities such as Guam Waterworks, Shell Oil and Mobil Oil service stations.

The settlement that required Graphic Center, Inc. in Guam to pay a fine of $12,500 for hazardous waste violations at its Maite facility made it to EPA’s enforcement highlights this year. EPA said the March 2004 inspection discovered the facility’s silver recovery unit was not in place. Discharge hoses from the film-developing unit were taped to a drain hose, allowing a silver-contaminated wastewater to be improperly disposed of in the drain without a permit according to EPA reports.

Finally in American Samoa, the fining for $5,000 to Tri Marine International for the improper disposal of a tuna skiff offshore of Pago Pago Harbor in American Samoa highlights the accomplishment in the territory due to the company’s scuttled the tuna skiff without a permit and failed to provide the required notifications.

The settlement with the American Samoa Port Authority for SPCC issues also made it to the EPA accomplishment report for American Samoa. EPA said the authority has paid the fine of $2,600 and is hard at work on developing an updated comprehensive oil spill prevention and control plan for the commercial harbor and airport.

For more information on the report visit EPA website at http://www.epa.gov/region09/enforcement/results/ for a full description of the EPA’s enforcement cases throughout California, Arizona, Nevada, Hawaii and the Pacific Islands in 2006. For information on the EPA’s national enforcement summary for 2006, go to http://www.epa.gov/compliance/data/results/annual/fy2006.html.