One Puerto Rican company is facing the music for some shoddy construction management that led to pollution of a local river.
What's happening?
The U.S. Environmental Protection Agency announced an $80,000 fine for Transporte Rodríguez Asfalto, Inc. (TRA) due to violations of the Clean Water Act.
As EPA Regional Administrator Lisa F. Garcia put it in a news release, the Clean Water Act is "designed to protect waterways … and prevent pollution that threatens public health and the environment."
The EPA said ahead of a construction project in September of 2023 that TRA didn't get the necessary permits, nor did it install mandatory erosion and sediment controls. Consequently, stormwater carried pollutants from the site into the nearby Cañas River, damaging and polluting the water.
"Construction activities, if not properly managed, can cause long-term damage to local rivers and ecosystems," Garcia pointed out.
Why is holding polluters accountable important?
The Clean Water Act and other similar measures exist to protect the planet and public health.
TRA is just one of many companies that may skip controls and protocols, or neglect to get the required permits ahead of projects. Ultimately, the best way to make sure these companies follow the rules is making them accountable when they don't.
Unfortunately, there are still many disturbing examples of companies creating public health hazards by dumping tons of pollutants into local water, or releasing dangerous chemicals into the air. This can expose residents to unhealthy air or dangerous chemicals in the water, like PFAS.
The problem almost certainly would be worse if the EPA, whistleblowers, and local residents weren't there to sound the alarm. While it's imperfect to punish companies months or often years later, it does provide a measure of environmental justice and ideally acts as a future deterrent to breaking the rules.
What's being done about TRA's pollution?
The EPA didn't stop at just the $80,000 fine, as the agency is hoping to prevent future rule-breaking.
To that end, TRA will have to take corrective actions and report to the agency on a bimonthly basis to ensure compliance, per the news release.
The corrective actions include "stabilizing soil and controlling erosion," creating a plan to prevent stormwater pollution, and gaining coverage through the EPA's construction general permit to avoid future discharges.
In your own community, you can also make a difference by alerting the proper authorities to any unusual discharges.
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