The Connecticut Department of Environmental Protection has reached settlements with the Connecticut Resource Recovery Authority and Covanta for cases involving air emissions violations at waste to energy plants in Wallingford and Hartford. The settlements will improve operating procedures at the facilities and provide funding for municipal recycling initiatives. Covanta operates both facilities under contract with CRRA.
A payment of $355,000 will be made into a DEP fund for environmental projects as the result of a violation of permit limits for dioxin emissions at company’s Wallingford facility. The funds will be used by DEP to assist municipalities in strengthening recycling programs.
A new monitoring system will be installed and operated to provide continuous ammonia emissions data from the Hartford plant as a result of violations of permit limits for ammonia emissions at this facility. The system is expected to cost around $70,000.
"In these two cases, there were clear violations of air pollution control requirements that were established to protect the quality of our air and the health of our residents. The agreements we have reached will help make certain that these plants operate in compliance with all permit conditions at all times," said Amey Marrella, DEP commissioner.
In addition to the payment to DEP for the recycling project, the settlement requires the following:
A report detailing the cause of the excessive dioxin emissions;
More frequent tests for dioxin emissions from 2009 through 2013;
Evaluation of the environmental impact of the increased use of carbon to control dioxin emissions.
Details on the Hartford Consent Order include violations that involved emissions in excess of the maximum allowable permit limits for particulate matter and ammonia. The violations were discovered through emissions testing mandated by DEP.
In response to the violations, the Consent Order requires updates and improvements in maintenance and operations procedures required by DEP permits and Connecticut state law. In addition, in lieu of paying a civil penalty of $66,197, an investment of at least that amount must be made in the installation and operation of a system that will provide for continuous monitoring of ammonia emissions.