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May 13, 2003
HONOLULU – The State Department of Health has settled five
Underground Storage Tank (UST) cases for a total penalty payment of
$83,623. The alleged violations were resolved by consent agreements
completed between March 2002 and May 2003.
Since the UST program began in May 2000, the Department’s UST
program has also issued a total of 206 field citations for smaller
fines for a total penalty assessment of $186,400.
"Staff in our UST Program are working hard," said Laurence K. Lau,
Deputy Director of Environmental Health. "Our inspectors are checking
release detection records, and they are making sure that spill,
overfill and corrosion protection are provided and maintained on tanks,
so that releases of petroleum are prevented or quickly detected and
stopped. That helps protect our drinking water and the
environment."
- The City and County of Honolulu paid a civil penalty of $4,895 to
resolve a Notice of Violation (NOV) issued by the Department for
alleged failure to obtain a permit to install and operate a
2,500-gallon UST containing diesel for use in an emergency generator at
the Kailua Heights Wastewater Pump Station.
- Hawaiian Dredging Construction Company paid a penalty of $17,800 to
resolve a NOV issued by the Department for alleged installing and
operating four USTs without first obtaining a permit.
- Kauai Veterans Memorial Hospital paid $5,400 to resolve a NOV for
alleged failure to upgrade an emergency generator UST with corrosion
protection in accordance with federal UST regulations, and failure to
immediately cease operating the substandard tank as directed by the
Department.
- Maui Prince Hotel, LLC paid a penalty of $10,000 to resolve a NOV
for alleged failure to notify the Department of Health of the existence
of a regulated tank, and failure to upgrade or close the substandard
tank by January 28, 2000.
- Commercial Enterprises, Ltd has agreed to pay $45,528 to resolve a
NOV for alleged failure to notify the department of the existence of
two tanks located at 935 Queen Street, failure to upgrade or close the
tanks by January 28, 2000, and failure to obtain financial
responsibility.
Currently, there are 2,035 regulated underground storage tanks in
use at 1,032 facilities. The Department’s UST Section also
maintains records on 5,713 tanks that have closed. State inspections
have prompted more than 99 percent of owners and operators of regulated
USTs into compliance with spill, overfill and corrosion protection of
their tanks and piping, and 84 percent in significant compliance with
leak detection requirements.
EPA has authorized the Hawaii Department of Health to administer
state UST rules in lieu of the federal UST regulations in Hawaii.
Additional information about the state’s UST program is available
at www.state.hi.us/doh/eh/shwb.
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For more information, contact:
Greg Olmsted
Supervisor Underground Storage Tank Section
Phone: (808) 586-4226
E-mail: golmsted@eha.health.state.hi.us
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