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EPA PROPOSES $26,000 FINE FOR HARTFORD MDC

Release Date: 09/28/1998
Contact Information: Leo Kay, Press Office, (617) 918-4154

BOSTON - The U.S. Environmental Protection Agency is proposing to fine the Hartford Metropolitan District $26,015 for improperly characterizing waste at its vehicle maintenance facility on Murphy Road, which resulted in 525 gallons of hazardous waste being sent to a local waste oil company.

During an inspection of the facility last September by the EPA's Public Agency Team, investigators discovered that the MDC had been mistakenly transporting waste from its parts-cleaner units off site as a non-hazardous, state-regulated waste oil. As a result, the waste material dropped out of federal hazardous waste program oversight.

The facility's practice of adding solvents to its mineral spirits parts cleaner rendered the waste hazardous. Testing of the waste revealed high levels of tetrachloroethylene and trichloroethylene.

"It is imperative that businesses and agencies working with hazardous materials remain acutely aware of what types of materials they store and dispose of," said John P. DeVillars, administrator of the EPA's New England Office. "Waste determinations serve as a crucial part of any safe hazardous waste management program, and thus help protect workers and the surrounding neighborhood from any accidental releases of toxic substances."

The Murphy Road facility serves as the primary maintenance shop for approximately 300 MDC vehicles operated in the Hartford area. Since the inspection, the MDC has properly characterized its waste and disposed of it at a permitted designated facility.