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EPA Settles Hazardous Waste Violations at Two S.E. Pa. Foundries

Release Date: 11/23/2004
Contact Information: Bonnie Smith (215) 814-5543

Contact: Bonnie Smith (215) 814-5543
PHILADELPHIA – The U.S. Environmental Protection Agency has settled complaints against two metal foundries in southeastern Pennsylvania for violations of federal hazardous waste regulations. Under separate consent agreements with EPA, Buck Company Inc. will pay a $44,880 penalty for alleged violations at its foundry in Quarryville, Pa., and Kief Industries, Inc. will pay a $13,358 penalty for alleged violations at its Excelsior Brass Works foundry in Blandon, Pa.

Both companies were cited under the Resource Conservation and Recovery Act (RCRA), the federal law governing the treatment, storage, and disposal of hazardous waste. This law is designed to protect public health and the environment, and avoid costly cleanups by requiring the safe, environmentally sound disposal of hazardous waste.

The Buck Company Foundry, located at 897 Lancaster Pike, Quarryville, Pa., produces gray, malleable, and ductile iron as well as brass, bronze, and aluminum. This process creates toxic heavy metal waste. In an inspection by EPA and the Pennsylvania Department of Environmental Protection on March 25, 2003, inspectors identified alleged violations, including several instances of storing hazardous waste without a RCRA permit beyond the allowable 90-day limit. Inspectors observed hazardous baghouse dust on the ground near the dust collection containers. EPA also cited Buck Co. for one open container of hazardous waste and storing hazardous waste in a manner that didn’t allow for inspection or quick response to emergency. The company also allegedly failed to maintain records of employee training in hazardous waste handling, storage, and disposal.

Kief Industries’ Excelsior Brass Works, located at 331 June St., Blandon, Pa., produces zinc oxide sludge (ZOS), a hazardous waste containing lead and cadmium, as part of its metal ingot melting process. EPA inspections on September 25 and October 29, 2002 revealed that the facility was storing an estimated 11,000 kilograms of ZOS in 92 55-gallon drums, which had apparently accumulated at the facility since 1998.

EPA cited Kief Industries for storing ZOS without a RCRA permit beyond allowable accumulation periods, for failing to properly label or date drums containing this waste, and for failing to prepare hazardous waste manifests when this waste was shipped to a reclamation facility.

The settlement penalties reflect the companies’ good faith and cooperation with EPA in the resolution of these complaints. As part of these settlements, the companies neither admitted nor denied liability for the cited violations. EPA previously ordered both companies to comply with applicable hazardous waste regulations.