All News Releases By Date

Massachusetts Developer Faces Fines for Clean Water Violations

Release Date: 09/09/2008
Contact Information: Paula Ballentine, (617) 918-1027

(Boston, Mass. – Sept. 9, 2008) - A Massachusetts developer constructing a residential development in Belchertown, Mass. faces a penalty of up to $157,500 for discharging polluted storm water from his construction site.

After an inspection, EPA determined that Peter Galuszka had been discharging storm water containing silt and sediment from the Oasis Drive site since construction began there in 2004. The EPA complaint recently issued alleges that Mr. Galuszka did not apply in a timely manner for coverage under the National Pollutant Discharge Elimination System (NPDES) General Permit for Storm Water Discharges from Construction Activities, as required by the federal Clean Water Act. The complaint further alleges that once Mr. Galuszka belatedly applied for permit coverage in March 2007, he violated permit requirements relating to implementing best management practices and documenting site storm water inspections. The complaint also alleges that Mr. Galuszka failed to respond to a formal EPA request for information relating to his development activities.

Activities that take place at construction sites expose disturbed areas of land to the weather. As runoff from rain or snowmelt comes into contact with these disturbed areas of land, the runoff picks up pollutants and transports them to nearby rivers, lakes, or coastal waters. Storm water pollution is a significant source of water quality problems for the nation’s waters.

The storm water discharge violations, which began in 2004, are significant because Mr. Galuszka failed to implement best management practices to minimize the amount of pollutants discharged from the site. These measures, when properly implemented, ensure that storm water runoff does not diminish water quality.

The pollutant-laden storm water emanating from Mr. Galuszka’s construction site in Belchertown discharges into tributaries of the Connecticut River.

More Information:
Storm Water Permits (epa.gov/region1/npdes/stormwater)
Clean Water Enforcement in New England (epa.gov/region1/enforcement/water)
Storm water issues in New England (epa.gov/region1/topics/water/stormwater)