EBMUD Reaches Settlement for Bad Handling of Hazardous Materials

East Bay Municipal Utility District is paying $99,900 to settle a lawsuit prompted by improper management of hazardous waste at its Oakland wastewater treatment plant, federal agency officials said today. The U.S. Environmental Protection Agency announced Wednesday afternoon that it reached the settlement with EBMUD, which provides water services to customers in Alameda and Contra Costa counties.

The impetus for the lawsuit was a 2014 site inspection at EBMUD’s West Oakland sewage plant, near the Bay Bridge. EPA officials said it was discovered that shipments for regulated hazardous wastes were accepted without proper permitting. Additionally, EPA officials said certain containers of hazardous waste lacked any labeling at the plant. But EBMUD has since returned to compliance with federal regulations, according to EPA. The EPA routinely conducts inspections of this sort under the federal Resource Conservation and Recovery Act, which grants EPA the authority to control all aspects of the handling of hazardous waste.

“EPA’s oversight role is pivotal to ensuring compliance with hazardous waste laws,” said Jared Blumenfeld, a regional administrator for the agency. In 2012, EBMUD started accepting various organic wastes - such as restaurant grease, food scraps and blood from poultry - and feeding the grid with electricity converted from methane gas produced when these wastes decayed.

With the waste-to-energy conversion system, EBMUD became the nation’s first wastewater treatment facility to produce enough energy from organic waste to sell some back to the grid. EBMUD’s headquarters could not be reached this afternoon for a comment on the lawsuit and what impact, if any, it had on the waste system.

By Bay City News

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