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.

“There were two issues,” EBMUD Spokeswoman Andrean Pook told Patch. “The first regarding how EBMUD met regulatory requirements. The District received, handled and treated a small amount of hazardous waste in a safe and responsible manner and in accordance with extensive procedures. No hazardous waste released to the Bay or the atmosphere. What was in question was the type of permitting EBMUD needed to process this waste. At the time, EBMUD believed all actions were in compliance. The waste was used to generate renewable energy. EBMUD no longer takes this material.”

Pook continued, “The second issue was labeling of some materials in our lab. That has been corrected and staff training put in place.”

Pook said EBMUD respects the goals of the EPA and is committed to protecting the health of San Francisco Bay.

By Patch and Bay City News