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EPA PROPOSES $170,000 FINE FOR HARTFORD DPW

Release Date: 10/21/1998
Contact Information: Leo Kay, Press Office, (617) 918-4154

BOSTON - The Environmental Protection Agency is proposing to fine the city of Hartford $169,575 for violating numerous federal environmental laws at its Department of Public Works Yard near the Connecticut River.

During an inspection of the city's central public works yard adjacent to the North Meadows Landfill in September 1997, EPA investigators discovered that the facility lacked an adequate hazardous waste management program and also failed to maintain an oil spill prevention plan for the more than 48,000 gallons of oil stored on the site.

"Public agencies hold an equal - if not higher - obligation than businesses do to ensure that their work places and surrounding neighborhoods are free from environmental and public health threats," said Ira Leighton, director of EPA-New England's Office of Environmental Stewardship. "As part of our public agency initiative, we will continue to put the environmental practices of local state and federal governments under close scrutiny."

The EPA is proposing $138,875 in waste management penalties for the city for: failure to keep containers of hazardous waste such as thinners and stains closed, labeled and dated during storage; failure to make proper waste determinations; failure to ensure that all employees handling hazardous waste are properly trained to do so; failure to post emergency information; and failure to conduct weekly inspections of hazardous waste.

The facility's failure to maintain a spill prevention plan posed a potential threat to the nearby Connecticut River since yard staff have no procedures to follow in the event of a leak or spill. The EPA is proposing a $30,700 penalty for this violation.

Today's announcement marks the third time within the past two years that the EPA has cited the yard for environmental violations. The EPA issued the facility a field citation in October of 1997 for underground storage tank violations. The facility also settled a Clean Air Act violation in February that required a payment of $10,631 and the performance of supplemental environmental projects valued at more than $30,000.