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Bishard Development Corp. Agrees to Pay $9,700 Penalty In Settlement of Clean Water Act Violations

Release Date: 10/5/2005
Contact Information: Roy Seneca (215) 814-5567

Contact: Roy Seneca (215) 814-5567
PHILADELPHIA – Bishard Development Corp. has settled alleged Clean Water Act violations stemming from the construction of the Coastal Walk Condominiums in Virginia Beach, Va., the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency today announced.

In a consent agreement with EPA, Bishard of Virgina Beach, Va. has agreed to pay a $9,712 penalty to resolve alleged violations of regulations designed to protect waterways from polluted storm water runoff from construction sites. EPA discovered the violations during an August 2004 EPA inspection of the site located on Old Virginia Beach Road. Storm water from this site flows into a tributary of Linkhorn Bay in the Chesapeake Bay watershed.

Uncontrolled or poorly managed storm water runoff from industrial and construction sites often contains oil and grease, chemicals, nutrients and oxygen-demanding compounds and other pollutants. The Clean Water Act requires owners of regulated industrial and construction operations to develop a storm water pollution prevention plan that outlines best management practices for materials handling, storage and containment, and runoff reduction measures that are managed by structural and nonstructural controls.

According to EPA, Bishard failed to maintain various erosion and sediment controls at the site as required by its permit. Specifically, EPA alleged that Bishard did not address a failed silt fencing system, failed to properly maintain its sediment trap and basin, failed to stabilize or protect earthen stockpiles near the construction site entrance, and failed to perform required inspections of areas disturbed by construction.

The company has fully cooperated with EPA to resolve these alleged violations, and has taken prompt action to comply with the cited Clean Water Act requirements. As part of the settlement, the company has neither admitted nor denied liability. For more information about EPA’s program for controlling storm water runoff at construction sites, visit https://cfpub.epa.gov/npdes/stormwater/const.cfm .