Copyright Hartford Courant
The Connecticut’s Department of Energy and Environmental Protection has released a list of businesses that that were in significant noncompliance with pretreatment standards and other requirements for their wastewater discharge over the last year. All of the businesses are considered significant industrial users, or industrial facilities that discharge wastewater into a public sewer system and, due to their impact, require specific regulatory attention. They are defined by criteria such as discharging an average of 25,000 gallons per day or more of process wastewater. The facilities identified were determined to be in significant noncompliance in one or more quarters from Oct. 1, 2023, through Sept. 30, 2024, DEEP said. Significant noncompliance is a regulatory designation for a facility’s serious violations of environmental permits, such as those under the National Pollutant Discharge Elimination System. Criteria for significant noncompliance often includes chronic violations, not meeting report deadlines, failing to meet a certain percentage of wastewater limits or other issues such as failures in reporting or compliance schedules that pose a threat to human health or the environment, according to DEEP. According to DEEP, the significant industrial sewer users that were in significant non-compliance with pretreatment standards and other pretreatment requirements during the preceding federal fiscal year were verified on EPA’s Quarterly Non-Compliance Reports generated by the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency and used to determine significant industrial sewer users in significant non-compliance “based on the results of sampling data submitted by permittees.” In total, 22 facilities were determined to be in what is termed “significant non-compliance” for various violations, many of them reporting deadlines. Among commonly cited violations were technical review criteria violations. These violations occur when 33% or more of all of the measurements taken for the same pollutant parameter during a six month period equal or exceed the average monthly, maximum daily or maximum limits set by DEEP. The other frequently cited violation was a failure to meet a compliance schedule milestone within 90 days after the deadline, that is contained in or linked to a respective permit or permit condition for starting construction, completing construction or attaining final compliance, DEEP said. The citings are done by fiscal quarter, many included only one quarter. According to DEEP, for fiscal year 2024, Q1 is October 1 – December 31, 2023, Q2 is January 1–March 31, 2024, Q3 is April 1–June 30, 2024, and Q4 is July 1–September 30, 2024. Accel International Holdings, LLC in Meriden, (Quarter 1); Albert Bros Inc. in Waterbury, (Quarters 1-4); Cosmos Food Products Inc. in West Haven, (Quarter 2); Giering Metal Finishing in Hamden, Quarter 1); Guida-Seibert Dairy Company in New Britain, (Quarters 1-4); H P Hood LLC in Suffield, (Quarters 1-3); and MacDermid Enthone Inc. in West Haven, (Quarter 2), were cited for technical review criteria violations, according to DEEP. Aplicare, Inc. in Meriden, (Quarter 2); Aramark Cleanroom Services, LLC in Bloomfield, (Quarters 1-2); Bridgeport Fuel Cell, LLC in Bridgeport (Quarter 2-4); BST Systems, Inc. in Plainfield, (Quarter 4); CP Foods LLC in South Windsor, (Quarter 3 and 4); Diaper Dan Inc. in West Haven, (Quarters 1-4); Merimere Water Treatment Facility in Meriden, (Quarter 4); New Britain Water Department in New Britain, (Quarter 1); Silgan Dispensing Systems COVIT America Corporation in Waterbury, (Quarter 1); and Glanbia Nutritionals (NA), Inc. in West Haven, (Quarters 1-2), were cited for failure to provide required monitoring reports within 45 days after the deadline, DEEP said. Some facilities were cited for failing to meet a compliance schedule milestone within 90 days after the state deadline. Those facilities included Aquarion Stamford Water Treatment Plant in Stamford, (Quarter 4); Ashcroft Inc. in Stratford, (Quarter 2); The Colonial Bronze Company in Torrington, (Quarter 2); EBM-PAPST Inc. in Farmington, (Quarters 3 and 4 ), and Memry Corporation in Bethel, (Quarters 3 and 4). Wastewater generated from industrial activities can contain pollutants such as biochemical oxygen demand, suspended solids, nutrients, heavy metals, oils and greases, and other toxic organic and inorganic chemicals, according to the DEEP. If left untreated, these pollutants can cause harm to the environment, according to the agency. Albert Bros Inc., (Quarters 1-4) a retail scrap metal and recycling business in Waterbury, was further cited for allegedly discharging oil and grease. MacDermid Enthone Inc., a manufacturer of chemical compounds for surface finishing applications in West Haven, was cited for allegedly discharging the heavy metals zinc and nickel (Quarter 2). DEEP regulates the discharge of industrial wastewater to the ground water, surface water, and to sewage treatment plants through permitting programs. Discharge limits and requirements for treatment, monitoring and reporting, are designed to protect the waters of the state from pollution, according to the agency. Stephen Underwood can be reached at sunderwood@courant.com.
