Maryland Sues Ecology Services Inc., for Storm Water Permit Discharge Violations
Maryland sued a Columbia-based waste management and recycling company, Ecology Services Inc., for an estimated $2.1 million.
Maryland is claiming that the company operated without permits for most of 2020 and violated a storm water discharge agreement at a site in Pasadena, Maryland.
The lawsuit was filed by the Attorney General’s Office in Anne Arundel Circuit Court and includes two counts against Ecology Services Inc. for alleged violations at its Baltimore-Annapolis Boulevard property, reported The Maryland Department of the Environment (MDE).
The first count is for operating without a permit for 213 days from Jan. 3 to Aug. 3, 2020, which includes a civil penalty of up to $10,000 for each day with a permit, according to the suit.
The second count is for breaching multiple parts of a storm water discharge agreement issued by The MDE in August four times. This would mean $10,000 per day for that violation, according to the suit.
According to The MDE, Ecology Services Inc. used the Pasadena property for heavy vehicle storage, fueling, and operations and during a series of inspections in 2020, MDE observed evidence of unpermitted discharges of pollutants from the site.
These discharges include: mud and sediment tracked off the site; waste storage containers; vehicle parts; trash exposure to precipitation; and soil stains indicating the discharge of oil at the site.
“The MDE is taking this strong enforcement action to bring this facility into compliance with our clean water laws and to protect the Magothy River,” said Maryland Environment Secretary Ben Grumbles in the MDE news release.
