Saint-Gobain in Worcester to pay $231K in EPA settlement
Subsidiaries of Saint-Gobain Corp. have settled with the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency for alleged violations of the Clean Water Act and will invest in environmental upgrades, the EPA announced Tuesday.
Saint-Gobain Abrasives, Inc. and Saint-Gobain Ceramics and Plastics, Inc. of Worcester will pay a $131,000 penalty to the EPA and spend about $100,000 on new stormwater treatment devices, which should be up and running by early 2017, according to the company.
The Worcester cases stem from a 2013 inspection of the facility, when the EPA found the company allegedly violated the federal Clean Water Act by discharging unpermitted stormwater and contaminated groundwater from its facility, and by not fully investigating elevated metal levels in its discharged stormwater.
According to Saint-Gobain, the Worcester violations were an unforeseen consequence of efforts made in 2010 to reduce water usage in its manufacturing processes by eliminating process water. This resulted in stormwater not having a source of dilution, causing EPA benchmark exceedances. Unforeseen cracks in the facility’s underground stormwater piping also allowed groundwater to enter stormwater pipes and leave the site without a permit, according to the company.
The EPA ordered Saint-Gobain to reline a subsurface pipe to keep contaminated groundwater from coming into the pipe, apply for a permit for unauthorized stormwater outfalls, and to continue to investigate elevated metal levels. In addition to the $100,000 it will spend on upgrades, Saint-Gobain said it has already invested more than $500,000 to investigate the Worcester exceedances, which included examining and replacing underground piping.
Further east, two other Saint-Gobain subsidiaries also settled with the EPA. CertainTeed Corp. and Bird Inc. of Norwood will pay a $120,800 penalty and spend $100,190 on a hotspot monitoring program and stormwater retrofit design program for charges related to oil discharges into the Neponset River. The programs are expected to reduce the impact of stormwater pollution on the river and its tributaries, according to the EPA.
According to CertainTeed, the oil release pre-dates the company’s acquisition of its facility from Bird, Inc. in 1998. CertainTeed said there are no known risks to the local drinking water supply or community health.
“CertainTeed has invested several million dollars to address the issue which was a surprise to everyone at the site,” CertainTeed said in a statement. “Permitting and final approvals for the project are expected this fall with completion of the work at least a year away.”
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