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EPA Proposes Penalty Against Arkansas Company for Underground Storage Tank Violations

Release Date: 8/7/2003
Contact Information: For more information contact the Office of External Affairs at (214) 665-2200.

      On July 25, 2003, the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) issued an administrative penalty order (complaint) against Cecil Dale, Jr., Wholesale Distributor, Inc., proposing a $260,264 penalty for 54 alleged underground storage tank (UST) violations.

      The violations were from 18 underground storage tanks owned and/or operated by the company, located at five different facilities in Arkansas (listed below).  The action resulted from joint compliance inspections conducted by EPA and the Arkansas Department of Environmental Quality (ADEQ) in January and February 2002.

      "The number of these violations is of great concern. Owners and operators of underground storage tanks must maintain their equipment to prevent releases. EPA, in partnership with Arkansas and other states, will continue to enforce all underground storage tank regulations to prevent and detect leaks before they impact our environment and our safety," EPA Regional Administrator Richard E. Greene said.

      EPA cited the company for failure to meet the December 1998 upgrade or closure deadline, failure to provide adequate corrosion protection for piping on new and existing systems, failure to provide adequate release detection for tanks, failure to provide adequate release detection for piping, placing product in a UST without registering the UST with the ADEQ, failure to have adequate financial assurance, and failure to meet new tank standards upon installation.

      Although no releases were observed during the inspection, maintaining corrosion protection and determining each month whether an underground storage tank system is leaking are important requirements.  Without these protections, leaks can occur undetected.

      More than half of the drinking water in the United States is obtained from groundwater.  One gallon of gasoline can contaminate approximately five million gallons of drinking water.

      Leaks may cause significant contamination to the soil and groundwater and other related hazards such as explosions. Also, the cost of cleanup increases with the duration of an undetected leak, which may be billed to taxpayers.

      The company is headquartered at 1819 South Knoxville Ave., Russellville, Ark. The five facilities cited in the complaint include:

         - Pepper Pan Food Mart, 2820 Prince Street, Conway, Ark.,
         - Paris Exxon, Walnut Street, Paris, Ark.,
         - Pepper Pan Food Mart, Second and Union, Dardanelle, Ark.
         - Pepper Pan Food Mart, 501 Main Street, Danville, Ark., and
         - Plainview Superette, Main Street, Plainview, Ark.

A copy of the complaint is available at www.epa.gov/region6/6xa/cecildale_ao_final.pdf.