CONCORD, N.H. (Legal Newsline) - New Hampshire Attorney General Michael Delaney and Commissioner Thomas Burack of the New Hampshire Department of Environmental Services announced a $65,000 settlement on Thursday with Meredith Motor Co. Inc.
Meredith Motors allegedly failed to register in a timely manner and permanently close four substandard underground oil storage tanks on its Meredith property. The company also allegedly failed to comply with the requirements of a state administrative order in a timely manner.
The settlement was approved on Thursday in Belknap County Superior Court.
NHDES staff discovered three of the four unregistered USTs on the Meredith Motors property in 2007. The state alleged that none of the USTs were equipped with spill containment devices, overfill protection devices, release detection equipment or corrosion protection.
Additionally, Delaney's office alleged that a single-walled steel tank installed in 1955 was used until the 1990s by employees at Meredith Motors to store spent motor oil. This tank and at least one other tank allegedly failed, causing waste oil to seep into the soil around the tanks.
Meredith Motors has now removed all four of the substandard, unregistered USTs and excavated and properly disposed of petroleum-contaminated soil in the area of the leaking tanks. More work is scheduled to determine the extent of groundwater contamination in the area.
N.H. AG Delaney reaches $65K settlement with Meredith Motors
