Solid and Hazardous Waste Branch
Press Releases

January 15, 2002

DOH Cites UST Facilities for Violations

In December the Department of Health issued a field citation to US Restaurant Properties of Dallas, Texas, for failing to submit notification forms notifying DOH that it had acquired ownership of underground tanks at 27 ARCO Service Stations as required by the state’s underground storage tank (UST) rules. The combined penalty issued for the 27 stations is $15,150.

Since November 2001, the Department of Health has cited eight other petroleum facilities on Oahu. These facilities were issued field citations with penalties ranging from $100 to $2,100.

Two ARCO stations received the highest penalties. The ARCO station at 2314 N. School Street was fined a total of $2,100 for failing to monitor USTs and piping for potential releases of gasoline, failing to conduct annual maintenance of their release detection equipment, and failing to ensure that leak detection equipment on piping operated within specified tolerances. The ARCO station at 1701 Dillingham Blvd. received a citation for $900, also for failing to properly maintain and operate release detection equipment on their USTs and piping.

Also cited were Beretania and Ward Union 76, $600; Dollar Rent-A-Car, $500; Koko’s Island Chevron, $450; Moanalua Chevron Service, $450; Carl’s Junior 76, $150; and Tanabe’s Service Inc., $100 for violations of Hawaii’s UST rules.

"We are inspecting every regulated UST facility in Hawaii," said Greg Olmsted, UST Section Supervisor. "That’s 2,200 tanks at 1,100 facilities. DOH inspectors ensure that owners and operators are maintaining spill, overfill and corrosion protection, are monitoring their tanks and piping for releases of fuel, and are complying with pollution insurance requirements to pay for cleanup activities in the event of a release."

If the facilities do not come into compliance, sign a settlement agreement, and pay the field citation penalties within 30 days, they are subject to formal enforcement action that carries penalties of up to $25,000 per violation per tank per day.

"Field citations give owners and operators an excellent opportunity to resolve the violations quickly and easily," said Bob Caplan, Enforcement Coordinator for the DOH’s UST program. "It enables them to avoid costly and protracted litigation."