United States v. Pennsylvania Environmental Hearing Board

431 F. Supp. 747, 10 ERC 1100, 7 Envtl. L. Rep. (Envtl. Law Inst.) 20730, 10 ERC (BNA) 1100, 1977 U.S. Dist. LEXIS 16031
CourtDistrict Court, M.D. Pennsylvania
DecidedMay 5, 1977
DocketCiv. 73-454S
StatusPublished
Cited by5 cases

This text of 431 F. Supp. 747 (United States v. Pennsylvania Environmental Hearing Board) is published on Counsel Stack Legal Research, covering District Court, M.D. Pennsylvania primary law. Counsel Stack provides free access to over 12 million legal documents including statutes, case law, regulations, and constitutions.

Bluebook
United States v. Pennsylvania Environmental Hearing Board, 431 F. Supp. 747, 10 ERC 1100, 7 Envtl. L. Rep. (Envtl. Law Inst.) 20730, 10 ERC (BNA) 1100, 1977 U.S. Dist. LEXIS 16031 (M.D. Pa. 1977).

Opinion

OPINION

MUIR, District Judge.

The above-captioned case was originally assigned to the late Chief Judge Sheridan. *749 Following his death, it was reassigned to the undersigned judge on October 1, 1976. The matter is now before the Court on a case stated filed March 18,1977 followed by the Government’s motion for summary judgment. The matter became ripe for decision on April 27, 1977 upon completion of the briefing schedule. The following facts have been agreed upon by the parties and are presented in the precise wording of their stipulation.

I. Findings of Fact.

1. The United States of America is the owner of the premises, and all of the equipment and installations situated in the city of Scranton, Pennsylvania, and known as the Scranton Army Ammunition Plant.

2. On August 16,1971, Lt. Col. Daniel E. Duggan, U.S. Army, assumed command of this federal facility, which command extended through December, 1972.

8. Chamberlain Manufacturing Corporation is a foreign corporation, organized and existing under the laws of the state of Iowa, and having a certificate of authority to do business in the Commonwealth of Pennsylvania.

4. Chamberlain operates the Scranton Army Ammunition Plant under a facilities contract with the United States of America.

5. From June 13, 1963 through June 30, 1971, the document embodying the contract referred to in paragraph 4 was designated as DA-36-034-AMC-0163A.

6. From July 1, 1971 to date, the document embodying the contract referred to in paragraph 4 was designated as DAA09-71C-0257.

7. The Scranton Army Ammunition Plant consists of six (6) buildings including three (3) production buildings on 15.3 acres of land.

8. The primary function of the plant is the production of metal parts for 155mm. and 175mm. ammunition shells pursuant to a separate supply contract with the United States of America.

9. Chamberlain, Scranton Division, was the only responsive producer in the United States of the 175mm. shell metal parts of satisfactory quality during the period 1963 through 1972.

10. The production of 175mm. shell metal parts was required to meet the U.S. Army’s critical need for this ammunition.

11. These shells supplied much of the long-range artillery for the Vietnam conflict.

12. The plant has three different water collection systems: domestic, industrial and storm.

13. From July 1, 1970, to October 4, 1972, operation of the plant by Chamberlain resulted in the discharge of 1.5 million gallons per day of untreated industrial wastes from the plant into Roaring Brook, a tributary of the Lackawanna River.

14. The plant had no industrial waste discharge permit from the Pennsylvania Department of Environmental Resources. (DER).

15. A report on waste disposal practices at the plant dated November, 1970, was prepared by the federal water pollution control administration of the U.S. Department of Interior for the Army Materiel Command, and a copy of this report was furnished to DER.

16. Chamberlain never notified DER of any particular pollutional discharge into Roaring Brook.

17. A large portion of the industrial waste discharge originated in that portion of the plant known as the forge shop.

18. The forge shop waste waters consisted of cooling water, waste water from forge presses, leakage and exhaust water from the high pressure hydraulic system, and floor drainage, the principal pollutants being grease and oil from the high pressure hydraulic system used in, and metal pollutants heated by the production process.

19. Other portions of the industrial waste discharge were related to the maintenance of the plant, e.g., floor drains discharging directly into Roaring Brook were covered with a thick coating of graphite grease.

*750 20. Roaring Brook was in relatively good condition biologically. upstream from the plant. Pollution sensitive invertebrates and fish lived in that portion of the stream.

21. As a result of the industrial waste discharge, no fish could have lived within a half mile of the plant, and the lower life forms were also depressed.

22. From July 1, 1970 through October 4, 1972, Chamberlain knew that its operation of the plant and the attendant discharge of industrial wastes from the plant caused substantial pollution of Roaring Brook.

23. Commencing at least in 1966, Chamberlain undertook a series of pollution abatement actions.

24. In November, 1966, Chamberlain initiated action to remove a water/hydraulic forge press and completed installation of a closed loop oil hydraulic press on February 26, 1968. This action reduced polluted water leakage from water/hydraulic presses by 1/6 at a cost of $897,415.00.

25. On January 3,1968, Chamberlain installed a closed loop oil hydraulic forge press (John Deere), permitting removal of a water/hydraulic press. This action reduced polluted water leakage from water/hydraulic presses by an additional 1/6 at a cost of $64,303.00.

26. During the period 1966 through 1972, Chamberlain rehabilitated remaining water/hydraulic press lines thus reducing pollution through leakage.

27. On July 29,1970, Chamberlain initiated action to remove the # 6 forge press. This action, completed on November 20, 1970, removed the potential pollution inherent in a water press line. Cost of this project was $7,478.14.

28. Commencing on March 31, 1970, the remaining hydraulic press forge lines were rehabilitated, reducing the pollution emanating from leaky water lines. This effort was completed on November 16, 1970, at a cost of $33,596.18.

29. In November and December of 1970, a dike was constructed around the oil storage tanks. This eliminated the possibility of discharging 20,000 gallons of quench oil into Roaring Brook should the tanks rupture. The cost of this project was $7,157.00.

30. During this same period Chamberlain installed a cleaning tank for tube bundle cleaning. This action eliminated the potential pollution of the brook by confining the caustics and oil sludge in a tank.

31. On October 19, 1970, action was taken to install two open tanks beneath the sulphuric acid tank, eliminating the possibility of discharging 3,000 gallons of sulphuric acid into Roaring Brook. The catch tanks were completed in February, 1971, at a cost of $2,630.00.

32. On August 27,1970, a water recirculation system was initiated. This system reduced the flow of heat exchanger cooling water to Roaring Brook by 3,600 gallons per minute at heat treat and 1,440 gallons per minute at the production shop. This allowed the planning for zero flow to Roaring Brook. The project was completed on September 7, 1971, at a cost of $387,029.34.

33. A rehabilitation project for the high pressure water system was started on March 31,1969, which reduced the pollution potential to the brook. It was completed on March 23, 1970, at a cost of $57,245.20.

34.

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431 F. Supp. 747, 10 ERC 1100, 7 Envtl. L. Rep. (Envtl. Law Inst.) 20730, 10 ERC (BNA) 1100, 1977 U.S. Dist. LEXIS 16031, Counsel Stack Legal Research, https://law.counselstack.com/opinion/united-states-v-pennsylvania-environmental-hearing-board-pamd-1977.