BOSTON (Legal Newsline) — The U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) has announced the Connecticut Light and Power Company will pay $47,000 after allegations it violated federal regulations in its management of a transformer that spilled 50 gallons of oil containing PCBs at a location in Waterbury.
The spill purportedly happened at the home of a client of the power company. The transformer was owned by the power company, which does business in the area as Eversource Energy.
Specific violations include allowing the PCB to spill out onto the concrete pad and soil, letting the transformer be stored for disposal for more than 30 days, and failing to dispose of it within a year of the date it was determined to be a waste. The transformer was allegedly vandalized in September 2014.
Afterward, Eversource took the transformer offline but purportedly did not remove it for more than a year. In early 2016 it was said to be vandalized again. During this time the spill occurred. An estimated 50 gallons of oil with a PCB concentration of 318 parts per million was released, the EPA said.
"The toxic substances law is in place to make sure the public and the environment are protected from the potential damage of chemicals such as PCBs," said Curt Spalding, regional administrator of EPA's New England office.
Eversource has since cleaned up the area, disposing of the PCB-contaminated transformer and affected soil and concrete.