Utility company West Penn Power has been handed a $610,000 fine in a settlement over water-discharge violations at coal-ash impoundment landfills in Pennsylvania, according to the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency and Pennsylvania Department of Environmental Protection.
The settlement, announced by the EPA Jan. 12, involved alleged violations of the federal Clean Water Act and the Pennsylvania Clean Streams Law "that threaten to degrade receiving streams, impact public health, and harm aquatic life." According to the settlement, West Penn Power discharged wastewater with excessive levels of boron from landfills in Union Township, Washington County; and Frazer Township, Allegheny County.
“This settlement reaffirms that compliance with the Clean Water Act is an ongoing obligation for all industrial polluters who must ensure that their operations do not cause harm to public health and our nation’s waterways,” Adam Ortiz, EPA Mid-Atlantic Regional Administrator, said in the announcement.
In addition to paying the financial penalty, West Penn Power must construct new gravity pipelines to new outfall locations in new receiving waters for each landfill, as well as collect data on instream boron levels, according to the announcement. Monies collected from the financial penalty will be divided between the United States and the PADEP, according to the announcement.
“We are pleased to have partnered with the Commonwealth of Pennsylvania to ensure the continued protection of Pennsylvania’s rivers and public health,” Ortiz said.
