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EPA enforcement actions in Nevada to reduce nearly 8 million pounds of pollution / Agency announces environmental enforcement accomplishments for 2008

Release Date: 12/05/2008
Contact Information: Margot Perez-Sullivan, 415.947.4149, perezsullivan.margot@epa.gov

SAN FRANCISCO – The U.S. Environmental Protection Agency’s 2008 enforcement actions in Nevada included actions protecting the state’s water and land resources.

Nationally, the agency took civil and criminal enforcement actions requiring regulated entities to spend an estimated $11.8 billion on pollution controls, cleanup and environmental projects, a record for EPA.

“EPA enforcement actions in the state of Nevada will result in a reduction of nearly 8 million pounds of pollution, the clean up nearly 50 million cubic yards of contaminated soil and address nearly 16.6 million pounds of hazardous waste,” said Wayne Nastri, the EPA’s administrator for the Pacific Southwest region. “In addition, over $40.6 million will be invested in pollution control and environmental cleanups.”

Nevada enforcement highlights for 2008 include:
· Republic Services of Southern Nevada, the current operator of the 440-acre Sunrise Mountain Landfill located outside Las Vegas, agreed to construct and operate a comprehensive remedy for the site, estimated to cost $36 million, and pay a $1 million civil fine to resolve violations of the Clean Water Act. The landfill cover failed during a series of storms in September 1998, sending waste into the Las Vegas Wash, which discharges directly into Lake Mead, a primary drinking water resource for southern Nevada, including Las Vegas, the lower Colorado River, the Phoenix metro area and southern California. The settlement required Republic Services to implement extensive stormwater controls, an armored engineered cover, methane gas collection, groundwater monitoring, and long-term operation and maintenance. The landfill is unlined and contains more than 49-million cubic yards of waste, including municipal solid waste, medical waste, sewage sludge, hydrocarbon-contaminated soils, asbestos, and construction waste.

· Electronic Evolution Technologies, Inc., of Reno, paid an $80,000 penalty for failing to submit reports detailing the amounts of lead processed at its facility from 2002 through 2005. Federal Community Right-to-Know laws require facilities processing, manufacturing, or otherwise using more than 100 pounds of lead to report releases of this highly toxic chemical on an annual basis to EPA and the state. Electronic Evolution Technologies exceeded the thresholds, but did not submit reports to the agency for reporting years 2002-2005.

· PTP, Inc. a Nevada-based developer was fined $43,000 for violating its underground injection control permit at the Pineview Estates subdivision in Gardnerville, a violation of the Safe Drinking Water Act. Companies must comply with underground injection control regulations of the Safe Drinking Water Act for wastewater treatment and disposal systems that have the potential to impact subsurface waters. PTP has been working closely with EPA to comply with the UIC permit requirements.

Please go to https://www.epa.gov/region09/enforcement/results/08/index.htmlfor a full description of the EPA’s enforcement cases throughout California, Arizona, Nevada, Hawaii and the Pacific Islands in 2008.

The report, U.S. EPA OECA Fiscal Year (FY) 2008 Accomplishments Report: Protecting Public Health and the Environment, is available on-line at: https://www.epa.gov/compliance/resources/reports/accomplishments/oeca/fy08accomplishment.pdf

For information on the EPA’s national enforcement summary for 2008, go to: https://www.epa.gov/compliance/resources/reports/endofyear/eoy2008/fy2008.html