Two construction companies in Puerto Rico working on an 86-villa in the northwest tip of the U.S. territory were ordered by the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency to stop releasing discharging polluted water.
A July 6 EPA news release reported the agency ordered Cliff Corp. and Grupo Caribe LLC, both headquartered in San Juan, to stop discharging stormwater and runoff from the Cliff Villas Hotel and Country Club construction site in Aguadilla, Puerto Rico, into the Atlantic Ocean. The proposed construction site is on about 9.5 acres of land in Aguadilla's Borinquen sector.
"Uncontrolled stormwater runoff can cause serious problems for the environment and people in Puerto Rico, including impaired opportunities for fishing and swimming, so it's imperative developers manage stormwater from construction sites in accordance with the Clean Water Act," EPA Region 2 Administrator Lisa F. Garcia said in the release. "This order embodies EPA’s commitment to holding companies accountable when they violate critical laws that protect public health and the environment."
EPA's investigation found Cliff Corp. and Grupo Caribe LLC provided inadequate erosion, sediment and stabilization controls and measures, according to the release. Investigators concluded developers started working at the site and discharged pollutants into the ocean without required Clean Water Act permit authorization.
EPA's order requires the two companies submit an action plan within 30 days and to come into compliance with discharge requirements at the construction site and then provide monthly status reports to the agency, the release reported. This was the latest in a series of enforcement actions aimed at stormwater violations from construction sites throughout Puerto Rico.
"EPA considers it a priority to assure compliance with the Clean Water Act due to increased construction activity across Puerto Rico, especially in coastal areas," the release said.
