Poulsbo, Wash. gas station agrees to pay over $11,000 for failure to monitor underground fuel tanks (WA)
(Seattle – May 5, 2011) – Central
Valley Grocery gas station in Poulsbo, Washington, has agreed to
pay $11,356 for failing to properly monitor three underground
storage tanks (USTs) for leaks for over a year.
Owners and operators of USTs are required to test their tanks for
leaks on a monthly basis. Failure to do so puts ground water at
risk and is a violation of both state and federal law.
According to Edward Kowalski, EPA’s Director of the Office of
Compliance and Enforcement in Seattle, leaking USTs are a major
cause of groundwater contamination in the United States. Congress
enacted laws requiring UST owners and operators to prevent tanks
from leaking, detect leaks quickly if they do occur, and clean up
leaking tanks.
“Leaking tanks have the potential to endanger drinking water
sources, so tank leak prevention and detection are crucial,”
said EPA’s Kowalski. “Conducting regular checks is a
small investment that can prevent costly, complex soil and
groundwater cleanups."
EPA inspected the Central Valley Grocery station in December 2008
and found that the release detection equipment was not operating
and that the owners failed to use other methods to properly check
the integrity of the tanks. According to owner/operators Julius
Templeton and T & A, LLC, attempts to correct the problem were
made in 2009, but were unsuccessful.
EPA alleges that Central Valley Grocery remained in violation from
at least December 2007 through June 2010. The owners installed new
equipment in November 2010 and the three tanks are now in
compliance.
For more information on the UST Program, visit the following EPA
websites: