EPA Cites International Petroleum Corporation of Delaware for an Oil Spill in Chester County, Pa. (PA)
Philadelphia (Aug. 12, 2010)
-- The U.S. Environmental
Protection Agency has filed a Clean Water Act complaint against
International Petroleum Corporation of Delaware in connection with
a 30 gallon oil spill that entered Trout Run in Avondale, Chester
County, Pennsylvania.
The spill occurred when 400 gallons of
oil was discharged onto Pennsylvania State Highway Route 41 in
Avondale.
The oil traveled through a nearby storm
drain into Trout Run, which is a navigable water of the United
States. The oil entered the waterway causing a sheen on the surface
of Trout Run. EPA is seeking a penalty of $11,000.
Trout Run flows into the White Clay
Creek which in turn flows into the Christiana River. White Clay
Creek is considered an environmentally-sensitive watershed by the
U.S. Congress under the National Wild and Scenic River
Act.
The Clean Water Act prohibits
discharges of oil into United States waterways and coastal areas in
quantities that are harmful to the environment or public health.
Freshwater rivers, streams, lakes and wetlands are particularly
sensitive to oil spills, which may damage fish and bird habitat and
threaten drinking water supplies. The law also requires owners of
the fuel facilities to develop and implement spill prevention plans
to protect public health and the environment from fuel
spills.
The International Petroleum Corporation
of Delaware, which is located at 505 S. Market St., Wilmington,
Del., has the right to contest the alleged violations and proposed
penalty.
For more information on EPA’s oil
spill program, visit https://www.epa.gov/oil-spills-prevention-and-preparedness-regulations
