The U.S. Environmental Protection Agency instructed The Kanaan Corporation to adhere to the Clean Water Act, permitting pollution-reduction measures in order to address stormwater discharges from a 19-acre site in Aguadilla, Puerto Rico, where Kanaan is developing a commercial center, according to a news release.

Earlier this year, an EPA inspection discovered that Kanaan lacked the proper permits for discharges of stormwater from a site associated with the construction of the Plaza Noroeste Shopping Mall on PR-2 Road in the Corrales Ward of Aguadilla, EPA said.

"Kanaan has been discharging polluted stormwater from the site into a sewer system owned and operated by the Puerto Rico Department of Transportation and Public Works, which is connected to a creek that flows to the Culebrinas River and ultimately into the Atlantic Ocean," the news release said.

EPA has ordered Kanaan to develop a plan for erosion and sediment controls and to apply for a new permit under the Clean Water Act’s National Pollutant Discharge Elimination System, the news release said. Under the order, Kanaan is required to stabilize areas at the construction site and to take measures to control the spread of dust, EPA said.

“Polluted stormwater harms water bodies used for fishing and swimming and that provide critical habitat for marine life in Puerto Rico, so it’s imperative developers manage stormwater from construction sites in accordance with the Clean Water Act,” EPA Regional Administrator Lisa F. Garcia said in a statement.

The EPA has initiated a number of enforcement measures, the most recent of which is an order to address stormwater infractions from building sites all around the island, the agency said. Due to growing building activity across Puerto Rico, particularly in coastal regions, EPA views ensuring compliance with the Clean Water Act as a priority, the agency said.