EPA Orders Battery Recycling Company to Reduce Air and Water Pollution at Arecibo, Puerto Rico Lead Smelting Facility (PR)
(New York, N.Y.) The U.S. Environmental
Protection Agency (EPA) has taken legal action against the Battery
Recycling Company, Inc. requiring the company to take multiple
actions to reduce the pollution of air and water from lead at its
Arecibo, Puerto Rico facility. EPA’s ongoing investigation of
the facility found potential violations of the federal Clean Air
Act and the Clean Water Act. The Battery Recycling Company, a
secondary lead smelter, recycles used motor vehicle batteries and
produces approximately 60 tons of lead per day.
Lead is a toxic metal that can cause damage to a
child’s ability to learn and a range of health damage in
adults. Lead exposure can have serious, long-term health
consequences in adults and children. Even at low levels, lead in
children can cause I.Q. deficiencies, reading and learning
disabilities, impaired hearing, reduced attention spans,
hyperactivity and other behavior problems. Lead exposure can also
cause health problems in pregnant women and harm
fetuses.
“It is vitally important that the Battery
Recycling Company control the lead that is escaping into the air
and water from its industrial facility to protect the health of
facility workers, their families and the people who live in the
area,” said EPA Regional Administrator Judith A. Enck.
“The EPA legal action requires the Battery Recycling Company
to improve its operations to protect people’s health and the
environment. Our work is not done. EPA’s evaluation of the
company’s compliance with federal environmental laws is
active and ongoing.”
“As an entity regulated by EQB and EPA,
Battery Recycling must fully and timely comply with all applicable
regulations. Today's order reflects the work done by EPA, EQB, and
other government agencies to ensure compliance,” said Pedro
J. Nieves Miranda, Chairman of Puerto Rico Environmental Quality
Board. “We will continue working to protect the well being of
the Arecibo community, Battery employees, their families and the
environment”.
To address air pollution, one EPA order, issued
August 10, 2011, requires improved monitoring and reporting,
preventative actions and operational improvements by the company.
EPA’s investigation found that in 2007, the company
reconstructed and tested a furnace at its facility without properly
notifying EPA. The company built another furnace in 2010 and
informed EPA, but failed to notify the agency of its testing of
pollution control equipment. In both cases, the company failed to
notify EPA of the date the furnaces went into operation. These
notifications are important because physical and operational
changes potentially increased the amount of pollution the facility
generates. The company also failed to provide EPA with required
records and reports. In addition, EPA found that the system for
detecting leaks of lead emissions was not being properly operated
to detect soot. One of the revolving doors on the dust collection
system, called a baghouse, was not functioning at full capacity and
potentially allowed dust to escape into the air.
EPA’s order requires the company to
properly operate its leak detection system immediately to detect
and reduce dust from escaping into the air. The company must
conduct daily lead monitoring of the lead levels at its baghouse
and record and report these levels to EPA. The company has also
been ordered to provide EPA the results of 2010 performance tests
conducted on the air pollution control devices associated with two
of its furnaces, and to update its plans and procedures for
addressing pollution from its smelting operations and provide them
to EPA.
To address water pollution, under a second order
issued July 13, 2011, EPA required the company to improve the way
it manages run-off from rainwater and correct violations of the
federal Clean Water Act. Storm water from rainfall can pick up
debris, chemicals, dirt and other pollutants before it flows into a
water body. The facility discharges storm water into the
Caño Vieques, which flows into Caño Tiburones and
eventually empties into the Atlantic Ocean. At the time of
EPA’s inspection, the Battery Recycling Company did not have
the required storm water pollution prevention plan available, and
did not have the required records related to monitoring, sampling,
inspections and training. Industrial materials and operations were
not protected from rain and the exposed areas were not clean or in
order. Additionally, the facility failed to carry out best
management practices to control storm water runoff at its
site.
The EPA order on water pollution requires
multiple preventative and pollution management actions by the
company. The company has been ordered to produce copies of the
required storm water pollution prevention plan, and annual reports,
inspection, monitoring, training records and other required
documentation. The company has also been ordered to develop a plan
to comply with environmental regulations related to storm water
management and follow best management practices to control storm
water runoff. In addition, the Battery Recycling Company has been
ordered to identify and control water pollution unrelated to storm
water runoff in areas including the repair shop, and storage and
loading areas. Last, the facility has been ordered to report on its
progress to EPA on a quarterly basis.
The orders are the latest in a series of actions
EPA has taken to protect people’s health and the environment
in Arecibo. EPA will continue to work with the company and federal,
Commonwealth and local officials to develop a long-term solution to
the lead problems in Arecibo, and will keep the community fully
informed.
To learn more about EPA’s efforts to
reduce lead risks, visit: https://www.epa.gov/lead.
Follow EPA Region 2 on Twitter at https://twitter.com/ and visit our Facebook page, https://www.facebook.com/eparegion2.
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