Sand company fined $95,000 for Clean Water violations

Aug. 24 -- Wamego Sand Company Inc. has agreed to pay a $95,000 civil penalty to settle allegations that it violated the Clean Water Act at its Midwest Concrete Materials Company plant in Manhattan, Kan.

The EPA determined the facility substantially exceeded the effluent limits of its storm water permit over a nearly four-year period beginning in 2005, according to a consent decree filed in a federal court in Kansas City, Kan. The company also violated sampling, reporting, recordkeeping and inspection requirements of that permit, according to the filing.

Permit effluent limits are imposed to protect aquatic life and water quality. As runoff flows through ready-mix concrete and sand and gravel facilities, it can pick up pollutants, including sediment, used oil, solvents, and other debris.

Runoff from the Midwest Concrete facility is discharged into the Kansas River, which is currently classified by the state of Kansas as an impaired water body.

The federal Clean Water Act requires that industrial facilities, such as ready-mix concrete plants, sand and gravel facilities, and asphalt batching plants, have controls in place to prevent pollutants from being discharged with storm water into nearby waterways.

Since being notified of the violations by EPA after a June 2008 inspection, Wamego Sand has made significant improvements to its storm water management systems, according to EPA and Justice officials.

The consent agreement is subject to a 30-day public comment period and final approval.

Contact Waste & Recycling News senior reporter Bruce Geiselman at 330-865-6172 or bgeiselman@crain.com