U.S. EPA & Guam Shipyard Reach Settlement to Control Storm Water Pollution
Ship repair yard Guam Shipyard will take measures to improve its facilities after multiple pollution violations discovered by the U.S. EPA in 2018.
The EPA’s settlement with Guam Industrial Services, Inc., states that doing business as Guam Shipyard includes a $68,388 penalty as well as mandatory installation of preventative measures to reduce the discharge of storm water pollutants into Apra Harbor, reported Marine Link News.
Guam Shipyard operates a ship repair facility on Cabras Island in Piti, Guam. The facility performs activities including boat repair, sandblasting, high pressure washing, painting and material storage.
An EPA inspection of the yard in September 2018 discovered that the facility had been discharging sandblast and paint debris in industrial wastewater and storm water without Clean Water Act permit authorization, reported the EPA.
Since then, the EPA said the shipyard has since completed the terms of a 2019 order to obtain the appropriate discharge permit as well as develop and implement a storm water pollution prevention plan.
“Ship repair facilities must maintain effective stormwater pollution controls to protect coastal ecosystems,” said EPA Pacific Southwest Regional Director of the Enforcement and Compliance Assurance Division, Amy Miller in the EPA press release. “This order will help prevent pollution from reaching Apra Harbor.”
In response to the pollution, Guam Shipyard has:
- Obtained the appropriate discharge permit;
- Developed a Stormwater Pollution Prevention Plan to control pollutants;
- Installed controls to contain sandblast and paint debris;
- Developed a plan to prevent non-storm water discharges from entering Apra Harbor; and
- Ensured that spill response equipment is available on site.
