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EPA Seeks $245,847 Penalty Against Plotts Oil, Inc. For Violations at Oil Storage Facility

Release Date: 10/6/1999
Contact Information: Roy Seneca (215) 814-5567

Roy Seneca (215) 814-5567

PHILADELPHIA - The U.S. Environmental Protection Agency has filed a complaint against the operators of a Chester County oil storage facility for failing to adequately protect the Schuylkill River and a tributary against a possible oil spill.

The government cited Plotts Oil Inc. of Royersford, Pa. for not maintaining an adequate containment area around a 1.6 million gallon oil storage tank at it’s facility in Spring City, Pa. The tank is located about 1,000 feet from Spring Creek, a tributary of the Schuylkill River. EPA also cited the company for failing to submit a facility response plan for responding to a worst-case scenario oil spill.

With billions of gallons of oil in storage throughout the U.S., oil spills pose a constant threat to land and water. Federal Clean Water Act regulations are designed to reduce the serious health and environmental risks of oil and petroleum product leaks.

EPA’s complaint against Plotts seeks a $137,500 penalty for violations of the Clean Water Act’s provisions for spill prevention, control and countermeasure, and a $108,347 penalty in a separate complaint for allegedly failing to submit the facility response plan.

The Clean Water Act requires the largest tank at an oil storage facility to be surrounded by a leak-tight barrier wall to prevent the contents of the tank from spreading in the event of a leak. EPA’s spill-prevention complaint alleges that vegetation and debris have impermissibly reduced the capacity of the containment area between the tank and the wall at the Plotts facility.

The spill prevention complaint also cites the company for gaps between the tank bottom and earthen foundation of the tank, and violations of regulations on inspections and record keeping, facility fencing and lighting, and employee training on spill prevention requirements. The violations were uncovered during an EPA inspection on July 29, 1998.

Because of the capacity of the Plotts oil tank and its proximity to a public water intake and the Schuylkill River, the owners are also required by the Clean Water Act to prepare a facility response plan for responding to a worst-case scenario oil spill. According to EPA’s complaint, the facility was required to file a plan by February 1993, but did not file the plan until December 3, 1998, almost six years later.

The company may request a hearing to contest EPA’s allegations and proposed penalties.