The U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) announced that Parker Hannifin Corporation, formerly Helac Corporation, will pay $63,984 for Clean Water Act violations at its facility in Enumclaw, Washington.
In January 2023, EPA inspectors identified several violations of the company’s National Pollutant Discharge Elimination System industrial stormwater permit. These included failures to maintain a Stormwater Pollution Control Plan, sample and monitor stormwater discharges, maintain structural controls and measures, and conduct routine site inspections.
During its investigation, the EPA also discovered an unknown discharge through the facility’s outfall. The facility has committed to improving its permit compliance by sampling and monitoring stormwater discharges, reviewing and revising its Stormwater Pollution Prevention Plan, maintaining stormwater control measures, conducting routine site inspections, and adhering to reporting and record-keeping requirements as stipulated by the permit.
“EPA is committed to enforcing the industrial stormwater rules under the Clean Water Act to protect Pacific Northwest waters,” said Ed Kowalski, Director of EPA Region 10 Office of Enforcement and Compliance Assurance. “In this case, this enforcement action will help prevent pollution from entering Newaukum Creek, a tributary to the Green River.”
Newaukum Creek serves as a spawning area for protected species including Puget Sound Chinook Salmon, Coho Salmon, Steelhead Trout, and Cutthroat Trout. However, due to excessive levels of fecal coliform bacteria, reduced dissolved oxygen levels, and high temperatures, Newaukum Creek is considered an impaired waterbody by both the EPA and the Washington Department of Ecology.
The Clean Water Act prohibits discharging pollutants from industrial sources into waters of the United States without a National Pollutant Discharge Elimination System permit. Stormwater can carry pollutants such as chemicals, oils, and sediment from industrial facilities into waterways where they can harm fish and other aquatic life. The permit requires industrial sites to monitor measure reduce stormwater pollution leaving their facilities.
