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U.S. EPA CITES HAWAII FUEL FACILITY OWNERS FOR FUEL TANK VIOLATIONS

Release Date: 2/25/1999
Contact Information: Lois Grunwald, U.S. EPA, (415) 744-1588

     (San Francisco)-- Lex Brodie's Tire Co. in Waipahu was fined $1,300 and cited by the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) and the Hawaii Department of Health (DOH) for violations of underground storage tank rules. Seven other facilities on the islands of Oahu, Maui, and Kauai were also cited for violations of underground storage tank rules.

     The most significant penalty was issued to Lex Brodie's Tire Co. The citations resulted from recent joint underground storage tank inspections by EPA and DOH.

     Leak prevention is critical for underground fuel storage tanks because unseen leaks caused by corrosion, overfills or spills can pollute underground water supplies.  A hole the size of a pin can release 400 gallons of fuel in a year's time, enough to foul millions of gallons of fresh water. Given the limited amount of fresh surface water in Hawaii, the protection of underground water sources is vital.  To prevent releases, federal law required all regulated underground storage tanks to have spill and overfill equipment, corrosion protection, and release detection methods by December 1998.

     Now that the deadline has passed, owners and operators of substandard tanks face penalties of up to $11,000 a day per tank in addition to cleanup costs for leaking tanks. In the future EPA plans to conduct unannounced inspections.

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