Sources: Environmental Protection Agency Region 1, Boston; CP staff

By Don Marsh

A proposed settlement with EPA New England Region calls for Cardi Materials, LLC to pay a $55,000 civil penalty; eliminate process water discharges at its Warwick, R.I., ready mixed plant; perform a comprehensive environmental audit to ensure the facility’s compliance with federal laws; hire certified personnel for additional stormwater discharge monitoring, reporting and permit oversight; and, provide operational employees training in stormwater management.

Subject to court approval, the settlement also sees the producer footing upwards of $170,000 for a “Supplemental Environmental Project,” netting pervious pavement along an East Providence, R.I., park. The project will demonstrate the material’s stormwater management potential, as a new pervious slab replaces distressed, impervious pavement that channels runoff directly to the Ten Mile River or adjacent wetlands. Pervious concrete, permeable interlocking concrete pavers and pervious asphalt are subjects of multiple EPA region demonstrations; most notably, the agency is testing the three pavement types in a 43,000-sq.-ft. parking area at its Edison Environmental Center in New Jersey.

The proposed settlement stems from an EPA Region 1 complaint alleging a) unpermitted process water and stormwater discharges from Cardi Materials’ mixer truck washing and loading operations, and b) failure to develop and implement a Spill Prevention Control and Countermeasure Plan under the Oil Pollution Prevention regulations. After receiving a stormwater discharge permit, the complaint alleges, the producer failed to implement best management practices to minimize pollutant levels in stormwater discharged offsite. The settlement is the latest emanating from EPA New England Region, which in the past two years has effected similar action with Aggregate Industries Northeast (Massachusetts and New Hampshire sites) and Rhode Island’s Consolidated Concrete.