Vermont Business Magazine The Agency of Natural Resources Department of Environmental Conservation (DEC) announced today that GWTatro Construction, Inca commercial-scale construction company in Jeffersonville, was fined $10,000 for failing to conduct leak detection and train operators to manage two 10,000-gallon underground storage tanks on the company’s property, in violation of Vermont Underground Storage Tank Regulations.
Many Vermont businesses elect to install Underground Storage Tanks (USTs) to store gasoline and diesel onsite. This allows business to fill up their vehicles and equipment more conveniently. When a business installs an UST, they agree to take on important responsibilities to protect public health and the environment. One fundamental requirement is to have trained tank operators monitor tanks every week to check for leaks. Tank owners are required to designate one or more operators who complete training in tank management, maintenance, and emergency response. These operators are responsible for conducting weekly leak detection as well as maintaining logs of those tests. G.W. Tatro Construction had not designated or ensured training for any tank operators and the company was not conducting weekly leak detection.
“We take regular tank monitoring very seriously because it’s the best way to determine whether an underground tank system is leaking hazardous materials into the ground,” says Emily Boedecker, Commissioner of the Department of Environmental Conservation. “With nearly 60 percent of Vermonters getting their drinking water from underground aquifers, we can’t afford to have soil and groundwater contamination from leaking underground tanks. Proper and frequent monitoring is the best way to catch leaks before they become a big problem.”
DEC became aware of the violations during a scheduled, routine inspection. DEC then issued a formal notice to G.W. Tatro Construction explaining the violations and gave directions for how the construction company could properly follow environmental regulations. The company acted quickly to train operators and begin weekly monitoring. G.W. Tatro Construction and DEC have negotiated a $10,000 fine for the violations, which the Vermont Superior Court Environmental Division approved on May 15, 2018.
For more information about DEC’s Storage Tank program, including information about operator training, regular tank monitoring, and a list of 2018 inspections, visithttp://dec.vermont.gov/waste-management/storage-tanks.
Source:DEC 6.8.2018