LENEXA, KAN. (MARCH 28, 2024) – Scrap Management LLC, doing business as Rivers Edge Scrap Management of Kansas City, Kansas, will pay $144,500 in civil penalties to resolve alleged violations of the federal Clean Water Act.
According to the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA), the company failed to adequately control stormwater runoff from its scrap metal recycling and processing facility. EPA says that these failures could result in illegal discharges of pollution into the Kansas River.
“Uncontrolled runoff from scrap yards harms streams and rivers and limits the public’s use and enjoyment of those waters,” said David Cozad, director of EPA Region 7’s Enforcement and Compliance Assurance Division. “This settlement demonstrates EPA’s commitment to protecting vital watersheds in urban communities, especially in areas overburdened by pollution.
In the settlement documents, EPA alleges that Scrap Management failed to comply with certain terms of its Clean Water Act permit, including failure to update and implement practices to prevent runoff of pollution; failure to perform inspections; and failure to train employees on stormwater management practices.
In addition to paying the penalty, Scrap Management is correcting the alleged violations through implementation of an EPA compliance order.
EPA identified the community surrounding Scrap Management’s facility as a potentially sensitive location for multiple pollution sources. EPA is strengthening enforcement in such communities to address disproportionately high and adverse human health or environmental effects of industrial operations on vulnerable populations.
Under the Clean Water Act, industrial facilities that propose to discharge into protected water bodies are required to obtain permits and follow the requirements outlined in those permits to reduce pollution runoff. Failure to obtain a permit or follow the requirements of a permit may violate federal law.
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