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U.S. EPA CITES 3 ARIZONA FACILITIES FOR UNDERGROUND STORAGE TANK VIOLATIONS

Release Date: 5/29/1997
Contact Information: Dave Schmidt, U.S. EPA (415) 744-1578

     (San Francisco) -- The U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (U.S. EPA) today announced it has cited three underground storage tank facilities in Lake Havasu City a total of $650 for violating underground storage tank regulations under the federal Resource Conservation and Recovery Act (RCRA).  

     "Compliance with underground storage tank regulations is crucial to preventing groundwater and soil contamination caused by leaking underground tanks," said Julie Anderson, director of the waste management division for U.S. EPA's western regional office. "Fuel tank owners and operators who violate these regulations put our water supplies at risk and often create costly long-term cleanup problems to deal with in the future.  In Lake Havasu City alone, the Arizona Department of Environmental Quality (ADEQ) is overseeing cleanup of seven sites where underground storage tank leaks have affected groundwater. "

     The three facilities cited had a total of seven leak detection violations, including failing to measure liquid volume in tanks each operating day, failing to ensure proper operation of a corrosion protection system, and failing to conduct the annual test of an automatic line leak detector.  Some facilities also failed to report suspected leaks to the ADEQ, as required.

     The U.S. EPA's underground storage tank (UST) field citation program is designed to quickly bring facilities owned or operated as small businesses into compliance with federal UST regulations. The citations impose penalties which generally range from $50 to $300 per violation, and require owners and operators to take quick measures to bring their facilities into compliance. If they do not, they will be subject to a more formal enforcement action, which carries much stiffer penalties of up to $11,000 per day per violation.

     The citations were issued during inspections by U.S. EPA, accompanied by an inspector from the ADEQ. Eight facilities were inspected.  The three facilities cited for major violations were: K&B Manufacturing Inc., Diamond Mine Ice, and Lake Havasu Marina.  

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