Newtown Car Wash

Complying With Environmental Cleanup

By Andrew Gorosko

Newtown Car Wash is not contesting a town cease-and-desist order for the April 2 apparent intentional spillage of wastewater at its 1 Simm Lane property, which polluted the site and entered a nearby stream.

Attorney Joseph Williams, representing GOV Real Estate, LLC, which owns the car wash, told Inland Wetlands Commission (IWC) members April 22, “We do not want to contest the order.”

“The car wash wants to apologize to the community for the [wastewater] discharge,” he added.

 Mr Williams assured IWC members that the car wash is taking steps to ensure that another discharge like the one that occurred on April 2 never happens there again.

Rob Sibley, town deputy director of planning and land use, asked Mr Williams whether any such wastewater discharges had occurred at the car wash in the past.

“I’m not sure,” Mr Williams responded, adding that the car wash is focusing its efforts on preventing such incidents from occurring in the future.

The chief state’s attorney’s office is investigating whether criminal environmental law was violated when wastewater was apparently intentionally discharged at the car wash on April 2.

The state Department of Environmental Protection (DEP) and town environmental officials also are investigating the incident.

 Following a lengthy discussion with Mr Williams and with J. Carver Glezen, who is an environmental consultant hired by the car wash, the IWC voted to have the car wash formally apply to the IWC to correct the environmental violations that occurred. That application would detail the problem that occurred, the steps taken to clean up the problem, and how effective those steps were in resolving the contamination.

The IWC has jurisdiction over the contamination of wetlands and watercourses. There are no wetlands or watercourses on the site. The IWC would oversee the cleanup of the stream that drains away from the site. 

“We have worked very hard to fix what happened,” Mr Williams said of the spillage. He said that about 2,500 gallons of wastewater was discharged from underground tank #3 at the site.

According to a town police report on the incident filed by Officer John McCluskey, “There was a grassy area next to the car wash parking lot in which there were pools of an oily substance….I spoke with the manager of the car wash, Robert Boyhen, and obtained a written statement. Boyhen stated that he had been pumping out an underground recycled-water tank, in an effort to make repairs in the tank.”

Ken LeClerc, a DEP emergency response coordinator for spills, has said that the wastewater discharged at the site apparently held oils, soaps, waxes, and dirt.

Following the spillage, environmental cleanup workers removed about 120 cubic yards of contaminated soil from a grassy area at the car wash, and also removed about 3,000 gallons of liquid, according to a statement from the DEP.

Sediment fencing, absorbent pads, and scattered hay has been spread on the site for environmental control reasons.

Also, absorbent booms were placed in a nearby unnamed stream to isolate any pollutants that drained away from the car wash site.

The car wash has reopened for business.