California Water News Daily Your Source For Water News in California
The Defense Logistics Agency, the entity that manages the global supply chain for five military services and multiple government partners, has agreed to pay the State Water Resources Control Board a $1.6 million penalty for improperly abandoning five underground storage tanks at the former Defense Support Point Moffett Field in Santa Clara.
The agency emptied the tanks but did not apply for temporary or permanent closure as required by the Santa Clara County Department of Environmental Health. Between 2005 and 2015, the county also issued five violation notices to the agency for failing to inspect and monitor the tanks. Leaking storage tanks discharge petroleum into groundwater and contaminate drinking water aquifers and wells, threatening human health and safety.
The county referred the case to the State Water Board in 2015 after repeated efforts to resolve the matter were unsuccessful. During a site inspection in March 2015, the board’s enforcement staff found numerous violations related to operation of the empty fuel tanks, which were removed from the ground between August 2021 and July 2022.
“Compliance with underground storage tank monitoring and inspection requirements is critical to protecting our state’s groundwater resources and human health,” said Yvonne West, the board’s director of enforcement. “This significant penalty is warranted by the nature and duration of the violations and should serve as a reminder that we vigilantly enforce against offenders when warranted.”
Per terms of the settlement, the agency will deposit $801,556 in the State Water Board Pollution Cleanup and Abatement Account. The State Water Board will suspend an additional $801,556 provided the agency pays this amount toward lead-based paint abatement at the former Hunters Point Naval Shipyard in San Francisco.
