Worcester Construction Co. Pays EPA Penalty for Clean Water Violations

Valente Construction Co., Inc. of Worcester, Mass., has paid $7,150 to settle Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) claims that it violated the federal Clean Water Act at a construction site located on Brooks Station Road in Princeton, Mass.

Specifically, an EPA investigation concluded that the company failed to obtain proper storm water permits, perform routine documented inspections and implement structural Best Management Practices at the residential construction site.

EPA discovered the alleged violations during a site inspection in March 2006. The inspection was in response to complaints made by the Princeton Conservation Commission and Massachusetts Department of Conservation and Recreation regarding storm water discharges from the construction site.

The site in question consists of approximately 150 acres of land, the majority of which is forested. The company had set out to investigate the establishment of several single-family house lots in the area. These violations are of particular concern because storm water from the site discharges into wetland areas and to Cobb Brook, which ultimately flows into to the Wachusett Reservoir, a public drinking water supply. However, at the time of the inspection, the site was frozen and there was no evidence of erosion, silt or debris being carried to the wetland areas or to Cobb Brook.

Source: EPA