Each company will pay $14,320
According to a Minnesota Pollution Control Agency (MPCA) enforcement investigation, EcoStat Consulting LLC, acting on behalf of Pump and Meter Service Inc., discharged 10,000 gallons of petroleum-contaminated water into a storm sewer during an underground tank installation at the Elgin Cenex station in Elgin, Minn., earlier this year. The companies failed to properly treat the water and failed to obtain a water quality permit prior to beginning work, though the MPCA had informed them of this requirement in advance.
The storm sewer discharges into nearby Dry Creek and eventually to the North Fork of the Whitewater River, which is a dedicated trout stream. This incident created a visible oil film in Dry Creek but did not cause a fish kill in either waterway.
The discharge occurred during the dewatering (removing water from a construction site) process related to a new tank installation. When the best available dewatering option is to pump water to a storm sewer it must be properly treated for sediment and chemicals before entering public sewer lines.
This incident is separate from an underground petroleum leak, active leak site, and ongoing remediation activities by MPCA at the Elgin Cenex station.
In addition to each company paying $14,320 civil penalties, they must both also:
- Train their staff on determining when permits are required before beginning dewatering projects.
- Audit their current dewatering projects in Minnesota to determine compliance with environmental rules, statutes, and permit conditions, and immediately return project sites into compliance.
Pump and Meter Service, Inc. is a petroleum tank and distribution installation and service contractor located in Hopkins, Minn. Ecostat Consulting LLC is a dewatering contractor from Borene, Texas.
MPCA rules and regulations are designed to protect human health and the environment by limiting pollution emissions and discharges from. When companies do not fully comply with regulatory requirements, the resulting pollution can be harmful to people and the environment.
When calculating penalties, the MPCA takes into account how seriously the violations affected or could have affected the environment, and whether they were first-time or repeat violations. The agency also attempts to recover the economic benefit the company gained by failing to comply with environmental laws in a timely manner.
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