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Ocean Beauty Seafoods, Inc. Agrees to Pay $126,000 to Settle Federal Water Permit Violations

Release Date: 06/12/2006
Contact Information: Contact: Tara Martich, (907) 271-6592, [email protected] Tony Brown, (206) 553-1203, [email protected]

(Anchorage, AK – June 12, 2006) Ocean Beauty Seafoods an Alaska seafood processor has agreed to pay a $126,000 penalty to settle water discharge permit violations with the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) at two facilities in Cordova and Excursion Inlet.

EPA initiated its enforcement action following the discovery that the company’s facilities had violated their National Pollution Discharge Elimination System (NPDES) permits. A settlement for all violations was reached and EPA signed a Consent Agreement and Final Order (CAFO) with Ocean Beauty.

According to Kim Ogle, EPA NPDES Compliance Unit Manager, the action was taken following an inspection at each facility, where permit violations were observed and documented.

“Water discharge permits are vital to protecting Alaska’s water quality, said EPA's Ogle. When companies violate those permits it is important to take an appropriate enforcement action. We're pleased that we were able to reach a settlement with Ocean Beauty and expect permit compliance in the future.”

According to documents associated with the inspections, violations documented at the facilities included:

Cordova Facility
Discharge of seafood waste directly into Orca Inlet, due to a sump overflow, causing the waste to pile up under the dock; discharge of untreated sanitary waste from a leaking waste sump to Orca Inlet; discharge of foam and bloody water into Orca Inlet causing foam and scum build-up on the water surface extending more than a mile from the outfall.

Excursion Inlet Facility

Discharge of unground fish waste, consisting of fish carcasses, fish heads, viscera and wastewater, into Excursion Inlet causing deposition of foam, scum, sludge and solids on the adjoining shorelines; failure to conduct a daily inspection of the grinder system to confirm that grinders were properly operating and reducing seafood waste to one-half inch or less; failure to repair an outfall, which was leaking into Excursion Inlet for at least ten days and failure to report the event to EPA.

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