[미국] Nome, 폐수 배출량 위반 혐의로 적발

 미국 환경보호국(EPA)은 알래스카 플랜트의 놈(Nome)에서 폐수 배출량을 위반한 혐의를 받고 있는 노턴 사운드(Norton Sound) 해산물 제품 회사의 소유주이자 운영자인 노턴 사운드 경제 개발 공사와 합의했다.

2016년 점검에서 EPA는 회사의 해산물 처리 배출 허가에 대한 다음과 같은 많은 위반사항을 발견했다.

-그라인더(grinder), 폐기물 운송 시스템, 해수면, 인근 해안선을 적정하게 모니터링하지 못함
-짐(tote) 세척 과정에서 사용된 화학물질과 배출 위치를 식별하지 못함
-허가 하에 필요한 모든 보고 및 기록 보관을 완료하지 못함

이 합의는 제기된 혐의를 해소하고 벌금 5만1천50달러를 포함한다. 

해산물 처리업체는 폐기물을 적절하게 관리하고 배출 허용 제한을 충족시킴으로써 해양 환경을 보호하고 미국인들이 건강한 식사의 중요한 일부로써 해산물을 인식하여 이익을 얻을 수 있다.

[원문보기]

SEAFOOD PROCESSOR REACHES AGREEMENT OVER ALLEGED WASTEWATER DISCHARGE VIOLATIONS IN NOME, AK

The United States Environmental Protection Agency has reached an agreement with the Norton Sound Economic Development Corporation, owners and operators of the Norton Sound Seafood Products Company, over alleged wastewater discharge violations at their Nome, Alaska plant.

During a 2016 inspection, EPA found many violations of the company's seafood processing discharge permit, including:

 
·         Failure to adequately monitor its grinders, waste conveyance system, the sea surface, and the nearby shoreline;
·         Failure to identify the discharge location and chemicals used in their tote washing process
·         Exceeding the dimension requirements for seafood processing waste residues
·         Failure to complete all reporting and record keeping required under the permit

 
The agreement resolves the alleged violations and includes a $51,050 penalty. By regularly inspecting facilities of all sizes, EPA helps maintain a "level playing field" among all permitted processors and insures that permit violators do not enjoy an unfair economic advantage over their permit-abiding competitors.

 
Seafood processors are required to have current wastewater discharge permits to protect the waters that receive their ground waste, which often includes entrails, bones, fins, shells, and other unmarketable trimmings. At the Norton Sound facility, strong tidal and river currents help disperse the waste, but that is not always the case. Larger processing facilities can generate enormous volumes of seafood waste that, if not managed properly according to their permit, can cause serious harm to the underwater environment. In some cases, processing waste also accumulates on the sea surface and shoreline. Such accumulation can attract pests, scavengers and create noxious odors.

 
Growing unnoticed beneath the surface, piles of waste can accumulate, suffocating underwater life by cutting off oxygen. Broad areas of the bottom are sometimes carpeted with a thick layer of viscous, gelatinous goo, a result of anaerobic decomposition. In the worst cases, these fish processing waste "dead zones" can cover acres of seafloor.

 
 By properly managing waste and meeting their discharge permit limits, seafood processors can safeguard the marine environment and profit from America's recognition of seafood as an important part of a healthy diet.

[출처 = Water World / 2017년 7월 28일]