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EPA FINES PLACER COUNTY WATER AGENCY $44,000

Release Date: 10/4/2000
Contact Information: Leo Kay, U.S. EPA, (415)744-2201

     SAN FRANCISCO   The U.S. Environmental Protection Agency fined the Placer County Water Agency $44,100 last week for failing to notify federal authorities of a chlorine gas release in Colfax in 1998 that threatened nearby residents.

     On May 21, 1998, 240 pounds of chlorine gas was released from the agency's water treatment plant on Pleasant Road in Colfax after a truck driver unloaded chemicals into the wrong tank, which caused a chemical reaction that created the chlorine gas.  Although the local fire department was notified immediately, federal authorities were not.  Inhalation of significant amounts of chlorine gas or vapor can result in damage to the respiratory tissues, and can also harm nearby vegetation.

     Facilities are required under the federal Superfund Law to immediately notify the National Response Center, and state and local emergency planning and response agencies following a release of a reportable quantity of hazardous chemicals.  Simultaneous notifications ensure that emergency response personnel have all necessary support for a safe and effective response.  Information on chemical releases must also be provided and records maintained to provide for the community's "right to know."

     Apart from the settlement, the Placer County Water Agency has offered to hold a series of educational workshops for other local government agencies on emergency response planning and preparedness in California.  In addition, the agency has made changes in its emergency planning and notification procedures and instructions to personnel.

     "For the safety of the community and the facility's work force, we require immediate and accurate reporting of all significant chemical releases to the proper authorities," said Keith Takata, director of the EPA's Superfund Program in San Francisco.  "Placer County deserves credit for cooperating throughout our investigation, and then volunteering to institute a series of workshops on chemical safety issues."

     The EPA learned of the accident in Febrary when a local resident called and gave the EPA details of the 1998 release, described his concerns for his family's safety and requested an EPA investigation.  Following an inspection in April, the EPA determined that   although the  facility had made numerous upgrades to equipment and procedures at the facility since the  release   it had not complied with federal immediate notification requirements.