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Biddeford, Maine Mill Owner Agrees to Pay $12,000 to Settle Clean Water Violations

Release Date: 12/13/2005
Contact Information:

Contact: David Deegan, 617-918-1017

(Boston) - The owner of a commercial building in downtown Biddeford agreed recently to pay $12,000, to settle EPA claims that it violated oil spill prevention requirements under the federal Clean Water Act.

According to the settlement, MCMAQ LLC of Biddeford failed to respond to an information request, failed to prepare and put in place a spill prevention plan, and in October 2003 discharged oil from its Lincoln Mill facility into a canal that drains into the Saco River, in violation of federal clean water laws.

MCMAQ is a carpentry contractor that owns a commercial office building known as Lincoln Mill at 17 Lincoln St. in Biddeford. The settlement stems from an inspection of the facility in January 2004 by EPA’s New England office. The inspection resulted from a referral of the matter by the Maine Department of Environmental Protection.

EPA’s investigation found that the company did not have a required “Spill Prevention Control and Countermeasure Plan” (SPCC) and did not have adequate secondary containment for the oil stored on site. At the time of the initial complaint in October 2004, MCMAQ had fuel oil stored in two above-ground tanks with a capacity of 20,000 gallons and 1,000 gallons, respectively. These two tanks have been replaced, partially in response to EPA’s enforcement action, with a new 12,000-gallon double-walled steel tank.

“This settlement has reduced the risk of harm to the Saco River by requiring MCMAQ to revise its spill prevention plan and to construct appropriate secondary containment, thereby reducing the likelihood of an oil spill,” said Robert W. Varney, regional administrator of EPA’s New England regional office. “This case also highlights the importance of proper oil spill prevention plans and procedures.”

Related Information:
Cleanup Process
Oil Spill Prevention Plan