Klamath Falls Mini Marts pay $30,000 penalty for failing to check tanks for leaks (OR)
(Seattle – June 23, 2011) – The
owners and operators of three AMA Mini Mart gas stations in Klamath
Falls, Oregon, have agreed to pay $30,000 for failing to properly
monitor seven underground petroleum storage tanks (USTs) for leaks
for over two years.
Under federal and state rules, owners and operators of USTs are
required to test tanks for leaks on a monthly basis in order to
protect groundwater from pollution.
According to Edward Kowalski, EPA’s Director of the Office
of Compliance and Enforcement in Seattle, leaking tanks can also
endanger drinking water.
“Out of sight should not mean out of mind when it comes to
underground fuel storage tanks,” said EPA’s Kowalski.
“Groundwater is often a community’s only source of
drinking water. Owners of tanks must do their part to prevent oil
and gas leaks and help protect people from polluted
water.”
EPA inspected the AMA Mini Marts in October 2009
and found that all of the USTs at the three sites lacked the
required monthly release detection for the tanks and annual testing
required for the associated piping, a violation of the Resource
Conservation and Recovery Act (RCRA).
EPA alleges that AMA Mini Mart owner Anesti Audeh was in violation
from at least October 2008 through March 2011. The owner has since
taken action to bring the three AMA Mini Mart facilities into
compliance and has agreed to submit compliance documentation to EPA
for the next six months.
For more information on the UST Program, visit the following EPA
websites:
http://yosemite.epa.gov/R10/WATER.NSF/UST/UST+LUST+home
http://www.epa.gov/swerust1/index.htm