Dilworth, Minn. — The BNSF Railway Company has agreed to pay a $70,675 civil penalty and take actions to prevent future permit violations at its rail yard in Dilworth as part of an agreement with the Minnesota Pollution Control Agency (MPCA).
The agreement stems from an alleged discharge of diesel-contaminated stormwater from the BNSF facility's stormwater collection pond to a ditch just south of the rail yard in 2004. The stormwater pond collects runoff from areas that included fueling operations and above ground fuel storage tanks.
The agreement also alleges that BNSF was late in submitting monthly wastewater discharge reports and failed to adequately inspect and maintain above ground storage tanks. In addition to the civil penalty, the railroad has decided to stop all fueling operations at the site, remove all fueling equipment and redirect stormwater pond discharges to the Dilworth sanitary sewer system, which connects to the Moorhead wastewater treatment system. All corrective actions must be completed by Dec. 1, 2006.
"Our main concern is preventing further fuel-contaminated runoff from getting into nearby waters," says Denise Oakes, MPCA wastewater permit writer for the facility. For a comprehensive list of enforcement actions by the MPCA, go to the agency Web site at www.pca.state.mn.us/newscenter/enforcement.html.
