Armstrong Environmental Services to Pay $35,000 Penalty for Clean Water Act Violations at Lancaster, Pa. Facility

(PHILADELPHIA - March 1, 2012) The E.P.A. today announced a settlement with Armstrong Environmental Services (AES) over alleged Clean Water Act violations at the company's waste processing and disposal facility in Lancaster, Pa. AES agreed to pay a $35,000 penalty for allegedly exceeding permit limits when discharging industrial wastewater pollutants to the City of Lancaster Wastewater Treatment Plant in Lancaster County, Pa. The settlement also requires the company take actions to minimize the likelihood of future violations.

EPA's complaint alleged AES exceeded its pretreatment permit discharge limits for pollutants oil and grease, pH and copper for a period of five-years. As part of the settlement, AES did not admit liability for the alleged violations, but has certified that it is now in compliance with applicable Clean Water Act requirements.

The Clean Water Act requires companies discharging pollutants to publicly owned wastewater treatment works (POTWs) to obtain a permit from the POTW limiting the amount of pollution that may be discharged to the plant. This usually requires some type of pretreatment by the discharging facility.

Pretreatment permit limits for pollutants are established in order to prevent impairment of waterways, either as a result of pollutants passing through the POTW -- or interference with the functioning of the treatment plant.

For more information about pretreatment requirements visit:
http://cfpub.epa.gov/npdes/home.cfm?program_id=3

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