$38,650 Fine—

EPA Penalizes State For Canaan House Fuel Spill

By Andrew Gorosko

The US Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) has levied a fine of $38,650 against the state Department of Public Works (DPW) as a penalty for a December 2003 spill, in which approximately 5,000 gallons of #2 heating fuel accidentally leaked from an outdoor holding tank at Canaan House at Fairfield Hills.

Some of that fuel entered storm sewers leading toward Deep Brook, which is a spawning area for brook trout. Some fuel entered the brook, contaminating it and causing a fish kill, according to EPA.

Deep Brook contains Class A water, and is one of only eight streams in the state where wild trout reproduce naturally. Class A water is considered drinking-water quality. The stream is a state-regulated Wild Trout Management Area.

The fuel spilled from a 10,000 gallon above-ground holding tank that was positioned outside Canaan House as part of a makeshift heating system for the massive, masonry structure.

In a statement, the EPA said the DPW has agreed to pay a $12,500 cash penalty to the EPA, as well as spend $26,150 on various environmental improvement projects.

The fuel spill required an extensive and costly wintertime cleanup project in the soil next to Canaan House, disrupting the use of that building, which at the time held town offices, school system offices, and the alternative high school. At that time, the state owned Canaan House and rented it to the town. In August 2004, the town bought Canaan House and the surrounding Fairfield Hills campus from the state.

The EPA found that the DPW had no spill prevention control and countermeasure plans for Canaan House, as is required by the US Clean Water Act. Also, the DPW did not have adequate secondary structures in place, which are required to contain a spill, according to EPA.

As part of the overall penalty, the DPW will review all of its fuel tank systems to identify ways to reduce the potential for fuel spills. Also, the DPW will make fuel spill containment improvements at its various facilities, such as connecting alarms to potential spill locations, installing computer equipment to detect leaks, and installing shut-down pumps to stop leaks that do occur.

“Oil spills can have a major impact on our waterways and overall water quality,” EPA Regional Administrator Robert Varney said in a statement. “Not only private companies, but state agencies and municipalities must take appropriate action to ensure that state and local facilities comply with oil pollution prevention regulations.”

In June 2004, EPA fined the town $15,000 for an approximately 4,000 gallon spill of #2 heating fuel from the Reed Intermediate School heating system, which occurred in December 2004. The town agreed to pay a $5,000 cash penalty and spend $10,000 on various environmentally beneficial programs.

The town conducted an extensive and costly fuel spill cleanup following the December 2004 spill at Reed School.

First Selectman Herb Rosenthal said this week that following the EPA’s fine against the town over the Reed School fuel spill, he complained to the EPA, asking why the EPA had not fined the state for the Canaan House fuel spill one year earlier.

Mr Rosenthal said that, in fairness, if the town was fined for environmental violations, the state also should be fined for similar violations. “It was a fairness issue,” he said.

After researching the matter, the EPA decided to fine the state, Mr Rosenthal said.

At the time of the Canaan House fuel spill, Tunxis Management Company operated Canaan House for the state, Mr Rosenthal said.