Press release:
FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
August 22,
2012
Clean Water Act Settlement Ensures That Boston
Racetrack Addresses Wastewater and Stormwater Discharges
WASHINGTON – U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA)
and the U.S. Department of Justice announced that Sterling Suffolk Racecourse
LLC will pay a civil penalty of $1.25 million to resolve violations of the Clean
Water Act (CWA) at its Suffolk Downs racetrack facility in Revere and East
Boston, Mass. The company is also spending more than $3 million to prevent
polluted water from entering nearby waterways and will perform three
environmental projects worth approximately $742,000 that will provide water
quality monitoring and protection efforts for more than 123 square miles of
watershed. The terms of the settlement are contained in a consent decree lodged
in federal court in Boston today.
The federal complaint alleges that
Suffolk allowed polluted wastewater, including horse manure, urine and bedding
material, to discharge into Sales Creek, a tributary of Belle Isle Inlet and
Boston Harbor. In addition, the federal complaint alleges that Suffolk operated
its concentrated animal feeding operation (CAFO), which stables race horses from
March through November, without a permit under the CWA.
“This settlement
reduces a major source of pollution into Boston Harbor,” said Cynthia Giles,
assistant administrator for EPA’s Office of Enforcement and Compliance
Assurance. “In addition, the settlement’s environmental projects include
monitoring water quality in the harbor’s watershed, helping to protect a
valuable urban waterway for the use and enjoyment of Boston area residents and
visitors.”
“Today’s agreement will prevent further discharges of
wastewater from Suffolk Downs into local waterways and will bring the racetrack
into compliance with the Clean Water Act, which protects America’s streams,
wetlands and rivers from the impacts of Concentrated Animal Feeding Operations,”
said Ignacia S. Moreno, assistant attorney general of the Environment and
Natural Resources Division of the Department of Justice. “The settlement also
brings lasting benefits to residents and the environment by requiring water
quality monitoring in the Mystic and Saugus river watersheds and a salt marsh
habitat protection project near the racetrack.”
In response to EPA’s
enforcement at this facility, Suffolk is completing construction of a wastewater
collection system, is making improvements to its stormwater collection system
and has applied for a National Pollutant Discharge Elimination System (NPDES)
permit. Suffolk will minimize the volume of and properly manage the wastewater
it produces, which will now be collected in a detention pond and discharged
during non-peak hours to the sanitary sewer system. Suffolk will also implement
green infrastructure and low impact development techniques to address stormwater
discharges from the racetrack and maintenance areas of the facility. These
techniques involve the use of natural or engineered systems to direct stormwater
to areas where it can be stored, infiltrated, evapotranspirated, or reused.
EPA inspections revealed that Suffolk Down’s process wastewater
discharged from the facility to Sales Creek during dry and wet weather. EPA
inspectors observed stormwater contaminated with manure and turbid, brown runoff
being discharged from the facility to Sales Creek. Sampling conducted at various
outfalls discharging from the Suffolk Downs facility indicated elevated levels
of pollutants, including ammonia, suspended solids and bacteria. Animal wastes
contain excessive levels of nutrients and pathogens, which produce adverse
environmental impacts including reduction of oxygen in the water, which affects
aquatic life.
Suffolk will undertake three supplemental environmental
projects under this settlement, including two water quality monitoring projects
and one habitat protection project. Suffolk will work with the Mystic River
Watershed Association (MyRWA) to conduct monthly baseline and targeted water
quality sampling throughout the Mystic River watershed and will work with the
Saugus River Watershed Council (SRWC) to conduct a Saugus River watershed
sampling program. Both the Mystic River watershed and Saugus River watershed
data will be available to the public for free on the MyRWA and SRWC websites.
Suffolk will also construct a habitat protection boardwalk in the Belle Isle
Marsh, which is immediately downstream of the Suffolk Downs facility and
represents one of the largest remaining areas of salt marsh in Boston Harbor.
The Belle Isle Marsh encompasses 275 acres of salt marsh, salt meadow, and tidal
flats, and is part of the Rumney Marsh Area of Critical Environmental Concern
(ACEC).
Preventing animal waste from contaminating surface and ground
waters of the United States is one of EPA’s National Enforcement Initiatives for
2011-2013.The initiative focuses on large and medium sized CAFOs that are
discharging pollution without or in violation of a permit.
The consent
decree is subject to a 30-day public comment period and approval by the federal
court.
More information: http://www.epa.gov/compliance/resources/cases/civil/cwa/sterlingsuffolk.html
R141
Showing posts with label operation. Show all posts
Showing posts with label operation. Show all posts
Wednesday, August 22, 2012
Clean Water Act Settlement Ensures That Boston Racetrack Addresses Wastewater and Stormwater Discharges
Press release:
FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
August 22, 2012
Clean Water Act Settlement Ensures That Boston Racetrack Addresses Wastewater and Stormwater Discharges
WASHINGTON – U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) and the U.S. Department of Justice announced that Sterling Suffolk Racecourse LLC will pay a civil penalty of $1.25 million to resolve violations of the Clean Water Act (CWA) at its Suffolk Downs racetrack facility in Revere and East Boston, Mass. The company is also spending more than $3 million to prevent polluted water from entering nearby waterways and will perform three environmental projects worth approximately $742,000 that will provide water quality monitoring and protection efforts for more than 123 square miles of watershed. The terms of the settlement are contained in a consent decree lodged in federal court in Boston today.
The federal complaint alleges that Suffolk allowed polluted wastewater, including horse manure, urine and bedding material, to discharge into Sales Creek, a tributary of Belle Isle Inlet and Boston Harbor. In addition, the federal complaint alleges that Suffolk operated its concentrated animal feeding operation (CAFO), which stables race horses from March through November, without a permit under the CWA.
“This settlement reduces a major source of pollution into Boston Harbor,” said Cynthia Giles, assistant administrator for EPA’s Office of Enforcement and Compliance Assurance. “In addition, the settlement’s environmental projects include monitoring water quality in the harbor’s watershed, helping to protect a valuable urban waterway for the use and enjoyment of Boston area residents and visitors.”
“Today’s agreement will prevent further discharges of wastewater from Suffolk Downs into local waterways and will bring the racetrack into compliance with the Clean Water Act, which protects America’s streams, wetlands and rivers from the impacts of Concentrated Animal Feeding Operations,” said Ignacia S. Moreno, assistant attorney general of the Environment and Natural Resources Division of the Department of Justice. “The settlement also brings lasting benefits to residents and the environment by requiring water quality monitoring in the Mystic and Saugus river watersheds and a salt marsh habitat protection project near the racetrack.”
In response to EPA’s enforcement at this facility, Suffolk is completing construction of a wastewater collection system, is making improvements to its stormwater collection system and has applied for a National Pollutant Discharge Elimination System (NPDES) permit. Suffolk will minimize the volume of and properly manage the wastewater it produces, which will now be collected in a detention pond and discharged during non-peak hours to the sanitary sewer system. Suffolk will also implement green infrastructure and low impact development techniques to address stormwater discharges from the racetrack and maintenance areas of the facility. These techniques involve the use of natural or engineered systems to direct stormwater to areas where it can be stored, infiltrated, evapotranspirated, or reused.
EPA inspections revealed that Suffolk Down’s process wastewater discharged from the facility to Sales Creek during dry and wet weather. EPA inspectors observed stormwater contaminated with manure and turbid, brown runoff being discharged from the facility to Sales Creek. Sampling conducted at various outfalls discharging from the Suffolk Downs facility indicated elevated levels of pollutants, including ammonia, suspended solids and bacteria. Animal wastes contain excessive levels of nutrients and pathogens, which produce adverse environmental impacts including reduction of oxygen in the water, which affects aquatic life.
Suffolk will undertake three supplemental environmental projects under this settlement, including two water quality monitoring projects and one habitat protection project. Suffolk will work with the Mystic River Watershed Association (MyRWA) to conduct monthly baseline and targeted water quality sampling throughout the Mystic River watershed and will work with the Saugus River Watershed Council (SRWC) to conduct a Saugus River watershed sampling program. Both the Mystic River watershed and Saugus River watershed data will be available to the public for free on the MyRWA and SRWC websites. Suffolk will also construct a habitat protection boardwalk in the Belle Isle Marsh, which is immediately downstream of the Suffolk Downs facility and represents one of the largest remaining areas of salt marsh in Boston Harbor. The Belle Isle Marsh encompasses 275 acres of salt marsh, salt meadow, and tidal flats, and is part of the Rumney Marsh Area of Critical Environmental Concern (ACEC).
Preventing animal waste from contaminating surface and ground waters of the United States is one of EPA’s National Enforcement Initiatives for 2011-2013.The initiative focuses on large and medium sized CAFOs that are discharging pollution without or in violation of a permit.
The consent decree is subject to a 30-day public comment period and approval by the federal court.
More information: http://www.epa.gov/compliance/resources/cases/civil/cwa/sterlingsuffolk.html
R141
FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
August 22, 2012
Clean Water Act Settlement Ensures That Boston Racetrack Addresses Wastewater and Stormwater Discharges
WASHINGTON – U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) and the U.S. Department of Justice announced that Sterling Suffolk Racecourse LLC will pay a civil penalty of $1.25 million to resolve violations of the Clean Water Act (CWA) at its Suffolk Downs racetrack facility in Revere and East Boston, Mass. The company is also spending more than $3 million to prevent polluted water from entering nearby waterways and will perform three environmental projects worth approximately $742,000 that will provide water quality monitoring and protection efforts for more than 123 square miles of watershed. The terms of the settlement are contained in a consent decree lodged in federal court in Boston today.
The federal complaint alleges that Suffolk allowed polluted wastewater, including horse manure, urine and bedding material, to discharge into Sales Creek, a tributary of Belle Isle Inlet and Boston Harbor. In addition, the federal complaint alleges that Suffolk operated its concentrated animal feeding operation (CAFO), which stables race horses from March through November, without a permit under the CWA.
“This settlement reduces a major source of pollution into Boston Harbor,” said Cynthia Giles, assistant administrator for EPA’s Office of Enforcement and Compliance Assurance. “In addition, the settlement’s environmental projects include monitoring water quality in the harbor’s watershed, helping to protect a valuable urban waterway for the use and enjoyment of Boston area residents and visitors.”
“Today’s agreement will prevent further discharges of wastewater from Suffolk Downs into local waterways and will bring the racetrack into compliance with the Clean Water Act, which protects America’s streams, wetlands and rivers from the impacts of Concentrated Animal Feeding Operations,” said Ignacia S. Moreno, assistant attorney general of the Environment and Natural Resources Division of the Department of Justice. “The settlement also brings lasting benefits to residents and the environment by requiring water quality monitoring in the Mystic and Saugus river watersheds and a salt marsh habitat protection project near the racetrack.”
In response to EPA’s enforcement at this facility, Suffolk is completing construction of a wastewater collection system, is making improvements to its stormwater collection system and has applied for a National Pollutant Discharge Elimination System (NPDES) permit. Suffolk will minimize the volume of and properly manage the wastewater it produces, which will now be collected in a detention pond and discharged during non-peak hours to the sanitary sewer system. Suffolk will also implement green infrastructure and low impact development techniques to address stormwater discharges from the racetrack and maintenance areas of the facility. These techniques involve the use of natural or engineered systems to direct stormwater to areas where it can be stored, infiltrated, evapotranspirated, or reused.
EPA inspections revealed that Suffolk Down’s process wastewater discharged from the facility to Sales Creek during dry and wet weather. EPA inspectors observed stormwater contaminated with manure and turbid, brown runoff being discharged from the facility to Sales Creek. Sampling conducted at various outfalls discharging from the Suffolk Downs facility indicated elevated levels of pollutants, including ammonia, suspended solids and bacteria. Animal wastes contain excessive levels of nutrients and pathogens, which produce adverse environmental impacts including reduction of oxygen in the water, which affects aquatic life.
Suffolk will undertake three supplemental environmental projects under this settlement, including two water quality monitoring projects and one habitat protection project. Suffolk will work with the Mystic River Watershed Association (MyRWA) to conduct monthly baseline and targeted water quality sampling throughout the Mystic River watershed and will work with the Saugus River Watershed Council (SRWC) to conduct a Saugus River watershed sampling program. Both the Mystic River watershed and Saugus River watershed data will be available to the public for free on the MyRWA and SRWC websites. Suffolk will also construct a habitat protection boardwalk in the Belle Isle Marsh, which is immediately downstream of the Suffolk Downs facility and represents one of the largest remaining areas of salt marsh in Boston Harbor. The Belle Isle Marsh encompasses 275 acres of salt marsh, salt meadow, and tidal flats, and is part of the Rumney Marsh Area of Critical Environmental Concern (ACEC).
Preventing animal waste from contaminating surface and ground waters of the United States is one of EPA’s National Enforcement Initiatives for 2011-2013.The initiative focuses on large and medium sized CAFOs that are discharging pollution without or in violation of a permit.
The consent decree is subject to a 30-day public comment period and approval by the federal court.
More information: http://www.epa.gov/compliance/resources/cases/civil/cwa/sterlingsuffolk.html
R141
Tuesday, June 26, 2012
Concentrated Animal Feeding Operations Meeting Scheduled for July 2 in Lexington, Neb.
U.S. Environmental Protection Agency, Region 7
901 N. Fifth St., Kansas City, KS 66101
Iowa, Kansas, Missouri, Nebraska, and Nine Tribal Nations
Concentrated Animal Feeding Operations Meeting Scheduled for July 2 in Lexington, Neb.
Contact Information: Kris Lancaster, (913) 551-7557 or lancaster.kris@epa.gov
Environmental News
NEWS MEDIA ADVISORY
(Kansas City, Kan., June 25, 2012) - EPA Region 7 representatives will host a public informational meeting for livestock producers about the Agency’s inspection program for concentrated animal feeding operations (CAFOs) on Monday, July 2, in Lexington, Neb. EPA Region 7’s inspections are part of an increased national emphasis on ending harmful discharges of pollutants from CAFOs into rivers and streams.
“It is important for EPA Region 7 staff to be out in the countryside so we can educate communities about EPA’s job and how inspections support the Agency's duties,” EPA Regional Administrator Karl Brooks said. “That’s why outreach efforts like this one are so important in obtaining the overall goal of protecting human health and water quality.”
Topics at the meeting include selection of CAFOs for inspection, aerial overflights to assess CAFOs, winter feeding areas, manure stockpiling and nutrient management plans. There will be an opportunity for attendees to interact with EPA officials during a question-and-answer session.
WHAT: Meeting about EPA’s inspection program for CAFOs
WHEN: 6:30 p.m. to 8:30 p.m. Monday, July 2, 2012
WHERE: Holiday Inn Express, 2605 Plum Creek Parkway, Lexington, Neb., 68850
WHO: EPA Region 7 representatives attending this event will include Josh Svaty, senior adviser to the regional administrator; Stephen Pollard, CAFO compliance and enforcement coordinator; and Trevor Urban, senior CAFO inspector.
# # #
Thursday, March 1, 2012
News Release from EPA Region 7 - CAFOs
U.S. Environmental Protection Agency, Region 7
901 N. Fifth St., Kansas City, KS 66101
Iowa, Kansas, Missouri, Nebraska, and Nine Tribal Nations
Concentrated Animal Feeding Operations Meeting Scheduled for March 13 in West Point, Neb.
Contact Information: Kris Lancaster, (913) 551-7557, lancaster.kris@epa.gov
Environmental News
NEWS MEDIA ADVISORY
(Kansas City, Kan., March 1, 2012) - EPA Region 7 representatives will host a public informational meeting for livestock producers about the Agency’s inspection program for concentrated animal feeding operations (CAFOs) on Tuesday, March 13, in West Point, Neb. EPA Region 7’s inspections are part of an increased national emphasis on ending harmful discharges of pollutants from CAFOs into rivers and streams.
“It is important for EPA Region 7 staff to be out in the countryside so we can educate communities about EPA’s job and how inspections support the Agency’s duties," EPA Regional Administrator Karl Brooks said. “That’s why outreach efforts like this one are so important in obtaining the overall goal of protecting human health and water quality.”
Topics at the meeting include selection of CAFOs for inspection, aerial overflights to assess CAFOs, winter feeding areas, manure stockpiling and nutrient management plans. There will be an opportunity for attendees to interact with EPA officials during a question-and-answer session led by Larry Howard, of the University of Nebraska Lincoln-Extension.
WHAT: Meeting about EPA’s inspection program for CAFOs
WHEN: 6:30 p.m. to 8:30 p.m. Tuesday, March 13, 2012
WHERE: Nielsen Community Center, 200 Anna Stalp Avenue, West Point, Neb., 68788
WHO: EPA Region 7 representatives attending this event will include Josh Svaty, senior adviser to the regional administrator; Stephen Pollard, CAFO compliance and enforcement coordinator; and Trevor Urban, senior CAFO inspector.
# # #
Wednesday, February 15, 2012
Construction at Sunrise Landfill
News release from EPA Region 9:
For Immediate Release: February 15, 2012
Media Contact: Margot Perez-Sullivan, perezsullivan.margot@epa.gov
Major operations begin on $25 million construction at Sunrise Landfill
Las Vegas Paving Company to perform work, 40 local construction workers employed
SAN FRANCISCO – Republic Services of Southern Nevada has begun large-scale construction work under oversight by the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency at Sunrise Landfill, a 440-acre closed municipal solid waste landfill, located three miles outside of Las Vegas city limits in Clark County.
The $25 million construction project, expected to last through 2012, was awarded to Las Vegas Paving Company and will employ 40 local construction workers. The project stems from a 2008 Consent Decree requiring Republic, the landfill operator, to install extensive stormwater controls, an armored cover, and landfill gas monitoring system; complete and monitor a groundwater monitoring system; and develop a long-term operation and maintenance strategy.
“EPA is requiring this work to protect a vital drinking water source for communities from Las Vegas to Phoenix,” said Jared Blumenfeld, EPA’s Regional Administrator for the Pacific Southwest. “This will prevent the release of over 17 million pounds of contaminants each year.”
Under the settlement, Republic is utilizing clean diesel technology to place 1 million cubic yards of soil and rock within the site. These efforts are especially important because diesel exhaust is linked to reduced lung capacityand asthma, and is a likely human carcinogen.
The EPA-approved remedy ensures effective control of the landfill with a durable and cost-effective landfill cover and stormwater system that address the unique geographic and climatic characteristics of Nevada’s arid desert landscape. Since 2008, five new groundwater monitoring wells have been drilled and 41 wells completed for quarterly sampling, as well as 30 landfill gas monitoring probes installed around the perimeter of the landfill.
An inadequate cover and stormwater system coupled with a storm in September 1998 resulted in a discharge of waste into the Las Vegas Wash and, ultimately, Lake Mead -- a primary drinking water resource for southern Nevada, including the Las Vegas metro area, as well as the Phoenix metro area and southern California.
Sunrise Mountain Landfill is unlined and contains more than 18 million tons of waste, including municipal solid waste, medical waste, sewage sludge, hydrocarbon-contaminated soils, asbestos, and construction waste.
The landfill was operated on behalf of the County by entities related to Republic Services of Southern Nevada from the 1950s through 1993. Following the landfill cover failure in 1998, EPA cited Republic Dumpco and the Clark County Public Works Department for violations of the Clean Water Act and the Resource Conservation and Recovery Act. At that time, EPA ordered the company to implement stormwater control plan; repair the existing drainage system; upgrade the landfill cap to federal standards; control and monitor methane and groundwater; and submit a plan to maintain and monitor the site.
For more information, visit: http://www.epa.gov/region9/waste/sunrise and http://www.epa.gov/region9/waste/features/sunrise-landfill
###
Subscribe to:
Posts (Atom)