An agreement regarding alleged wastewater discharge violations has been reached between the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency and Norton Sound Economic Development Corp., owners of the Norton Sound Seafood Products Co. at Nome.
Officials at EPA Region 10 in Seattle said that many violations of the company’s seafood processing discharge permit were found during a 2016 inspection.
The agreement resolving the alleged violations includes a $51,050 penalty.
Seafood processors are required to have current wastewater discharge permits to protect the waters receiving their ground water, which may include 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, EPA officials said.
Larger processing facilities can generate enormous volumes of seafood waste that, if not properly managed, can cause serious harm to the underwater environment. In some cases, processing waste also accumulates on the sea surface and shoreline, attracting pests, scavengers and creating noxious odors, the EPA said.
The EPA said violations found at the Nome facility included failure to adequately monitor grinders, waste conveyance system, the sea surface and nearby shoreline, and failure to identify the discharge location and chemicals used in the tote washing process. The plant also exceeded the dimension requirements for seafood processing waste residues and failed to complete all reporting and record keeping required under the permit, the agency said.
More about the EPA’s wastewater discharge permit program is online at https://www.epa.gov/compliance
