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Watertown Will Pay $28,447 and Spend $85,341 for Environmental Projects

Release Date: 06/22/2000
Contact Information: Amy Miller, EPA Press Office (617-918-1042) Peyton Fleming, EPA Press Office (617-918-1008)

BOSTON - The city of Watertown today agreed to pay a $28,447 penalty and make environmental improvements worth at least $85,341 to settle claims by the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency that the city violated hazardous waste and clean water laws last year at a Department of Public Works facility.

The DPW garage was targeted for inspection as part of two overlapping enforcement initiatives -- one focusing on compliance by public agencies with environmental law and the other focusing on the cleanup of the Charles River. EPA New England's Public Agencies Enforcement Initiative has taken more than 300 actions against federal, state and municipal agencies since the mid-1990s.

"The EPA expects public agencies as well as private concerns to be responsible environmental neighbors and follow federal environmental laws," said Mindy S. Lubber, Regional Administrator for EPA New England. "With this agreement, Watertown becomes a responsible environmental partner. The action against the town should serve as a warning to other communities that EPA will act aggressively against municipalities that put the environment and public at risk by violating federal environmental laws."

EPA's initiative to clean up the Charles River is focused on reducing pollution discharges from Watertown and two-dozen communities that abut the Charles River. Watertown's DPW garage is a half-mile from the river and is linked to a combined storm drain/sewer system that discharges into the river after heavy rainstorms.

The administrative complaint issued today against Watertown cites a half-dozen violations at the DPW garage at 124 Orchard St. when it was inspected by EPA in May 1998. The violations included: failure to conduct adequate evaluations of hazardous waste materials, failure to label and date hazardous waste containers, failure to prepare a spill prevention plan and failure to provide proper training on environmental compliance.

According to today's agreement, Watertown will create and operate a spill response unit that will handle spills of petroleum in Watertown and other nearby communities along the Charles. The city will purchase the equipment and train the personnel needed for the unit. Communities along the Charles now lack the ability to respond quickly enough to minimize the amount of spilled oil and other petroleum products that enter the sewer systems and then flow into the Charles.

"Towns and cities along the Charles are central to our efforts to make the Charles River safe for swimming and fishing by 2005," Lubber said. "Watertown's spill response unit is just the kind of program needed reduce the amount of unnecessary of pollutants entering this vital urban resource."

Also today, EPA New England issued a complaint against the town of Natick and proposed a $396,299 penalty for numerous violations of hazardous waste laws and a Clean Water Act violation. At the same time, EPA New England sent letters to town managers and mayors in nearly 1,000 towns and cities in New England warning them that public agencies are responsible for complying with the same environmental standards as companies.

"Sound environmental management is critical to both the quality of New England's environment and to your town's bottom line," Lubber said in the letter. "The best way to ensure compliance and avoid an enforcement action is to be vigilant about environmental issues and ensure that sufficient resources are available for sound environmental practices."

Watertown has already come into compliance with hazardous waste regulations and submitted an acceptable spill prevention plan as is required under the Clean Water Act.