An E.P.A. Settlement with Seaboard Asphalt Products

PHILADELPHIA (November 13, 2014) -- As part of a settlement with the E.P.A., Seaboard Asphalt Products Company, located on Asiatic Ave. in Baltimore, has come into compliance with oil spill prevention and response requirements. Their compliance will help protect Baltimore residents and the environment.

The company has also agreed to pay a $60,000 penalty for these alleged violations.

Under the Clean Water Act, all owners of oil storage facilities must prepare and implement a spill prevention, control and countermeasure project (SPCC) to minimize the risk of spills polluting nearby waterways.

The Seaboard Asphalt Products Co. facility has aboveground oil storage tanks with a total capacity of 224,500 gallons. It is less than a half mile from 2 bodies of water -- Curtis Bay and the Patapsco River - which flow into the Chesapeake Bay.

An E.P.A. inspection revealed several deficiencies at the facility, including inadequate secondary containment in some areas (including cracks and holes in the concrete walls of one of the main secondary containment areas); storage of mineral oil in rusted, corroded tanks; unstable bracing of a pipeline; and a visible discharge of oil that was not promptly corrected. The company has corrected these violations and is now in compliance with the regulations.

For more information about SPCC regulations, go to www.epa.gov/emergencies/content/spcc

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