U.S. EPA settles with East Bay MUD over hazardous waste violations

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2015-10-01

The U.S. Environmental Protection Agency announced a settlement with East Bay Municipal Utility District (EBMUD) for improper management of hazardous waste at its Oakland wastewater treatment plant. The public utility agreed to pay a $99,900 penalty.

EPA conducted a site inspection at EBMUD wastewater treatment plant in 2014 under the federal Resource Conservation and Recovery Act (RCRA) and found that the facility accepted shipments of regulated hazardous wastes without proper permitting. In addition, the facility failed to label certain containers of hazardous waste. Since the inspection, EBMUD has returned to compliance.

“EPA’s oversight role is pivotal to ensuring compliance with hazardous waste laws,” said Jared Blumenfeld, EPA Regional Administrator for the Pacific Southwest. “The state permitting process must be followed to have the necessary safeguards in place.”

Over the course of two years, EBMUD accepted the waste to use as feedstock for its innovative waste-to-energy conversion system. EBMUD supplies water to 1.3 million customers in Alameda and Contra Costa counties and operates a plant that treats wastewater before it is discharged to San Francisco Bay.

EPA routinely conducts inspections in its oversight role to ensure adequate state implementation of RCRA. EPA’s findings in this case were provided to its regulatory partners at the state and local levels to help improve their hazardous waste management inspection and enforcement program.

Source: U.S. Environmental Protection Agency

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