DEP fines Veolia for waste violations

The Pennsylvania Department of Environmental Protection (DEP) has fined Veolia ES Solid Waste of PA Inc. more than $11,200 for residual and municipal waste violations last fall in Cameron and Centre counties.

DEP inspectors responded to a complaint at GKN Sinter Metals in Emporium, Pennsylvania in November 2008. A few days earlier, the driver of a Veolia truck with a roll-off dumpster was observed draining an estimated 100 gallons of dilute coolant and rust preventative into a storm drain at the garbage dock.

The drain led directly to a DEP-permitted outfall that empties into the Driftwood Branch of Sinnemahoning Creek.

GKN employees had placed absorbent pads and booms in the creek, but DEP inspectors were still able to see a sheen on the creek’s surface.

The discharge violated the Pennsylvania Clean Streams Law and DEP’s residual waste regulations.

In December 2008, DEP staff inspected a Veolia truck with a roll-off dumpster and observed that the load was leaking, which violated DEP’s municipal waste regulations.

The $11,247 fine was paid to the Solid Waste Abatement Fund, which is used to help pay for cleanups across the state.