LENEXA, KANSAS (September 3, 2019) — Today, the Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) announced that BP North America Products Inc will pay a civil penalty and upgrade the company’s secondary containment to settle violations of the Clean Water Act at its Peosta, Iowa, facility. BP North America Products will pay a civil penalty of $71,400.
“Working together with the Department of Transportation and the Iowa Department of Natural Resources, EPA is taking steps to ensure this facility meets requirements under the Clean Water Act to ensure potential spills are fully contained on-site,” said EPA Region 7 Administrator Jim Gulliford. “Upgrading secondary containment at the facility will prevent future contamination of nearby waterways and protect both human health and wildlife.”
The violations occurred on August 6, 2018, when a 2.5-million-gallon storage-tank discharged diesel-fuel oil into a tributary of the South Fork of Catfish Creek, resulting in a visible sheen in the South Fork of Catfish Creek for multiple days. On August 7, 2018, EPA inspected the facility and documented that defective secondary containment resulted in the release from the facility. The Department of Transportation (DOT) also investigated the cause of the spill and found it to be a defective repair at the bottom of the storage tank.
In addition to the penalty settlement, BP North America Products also agreed to investigate and upgrade the secondary-containment system at the facility. Secondary-containment systems capture potential spills prior to release into the environment. The secondary containment system failed at the facility, resulting in oil discharges into waters of the United States.
EPA coordinated the investigation and plans for upgrade of the secondary containment system with both DOT and the Iowa Department of Natural Resources (IDNR). EPA anticipates this upgrade to be complete within six months, depending on the results of the company’s investigation.
