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Alta Mesa Services, L.P., Fined for Violating the Clean Water Act

Release Date: 09/26/2012
Contact Information: Dave Bary or Jennah Durant at 214-665-2200 or r6press@epa.gov

(DALLAS – September 26, 2012) The Environmental Protection Agency has fined Alta Mesa Services, L.P., of Houston, Texas, $29,400 for violating federal Spill Prevention Control and Countermeasure (SPCC) regulations at two of its oil production facilities in Terrebonne Parish, Louisiana.

A May 1, 2012, federal inspection at the facilities found numerous violations including: failure to adequately conduct and document facility inspections, failure to provide the locations for spare sump pumps and to provide annual pressure test data to demonstrate compliance with SPCC regulations. The inspections also revealed inadequate documentation of SPCC training and failure to describe the method of activation or control of surface and subsurface well shut-in valves and devices at the facilities.

The oil production facilities inspected and fined were: North Turtle Bayou, $9,200 and Turtle Bayou, $20,400.

SPCC regulations require onshore oil production or bulk storage facilities to provide oil spill prevention, preparedness and countermeasures to prevent oil discharges. The SPCC program helps protect our nation’s water quality since a spill of only one gallon of oil can contaminate one million gallons of water.

Additional information on SPCC regulations is available at: https://www.epa.gov/oilspill

More about activities in EPA Region 6 is available at https://www.epa.gov/aboutepa/region6.html