SACRAMENTO CA (5/29/2014) ?The California Attorney General?s Office, on behalf of the State Water Resources Control Board (State Water Board) has filed a complaint against Azad Amiri, Sarbjit S. Kang, and their affiliates for leak prevention violations at ten underground storage tank facilities in Contra Costa, El Dorado, Placer, Sacramento, and Yolo counties. The facilities are
fueling and convenience stores that operate under several brand names.
The Attorney General is seeking a permanent injunction, civil penalties, and other equitable relief to remedy numerous violations observed at the facilities. Applying the minimum civil penalty of $500 per-day per-tank for each violation, the penalties could reach several million dollars.
During the last several years, investigators from the State Water Board and local Certified Unified Program Agencies documented multiple violations at the various facilities that directly threaten the environment. These violations include failures to maintain line leak detectors and overfill prevention and secondary containment systems. They also include repeated failures to
test monitoring equipment and secondary containment systems. Violations have also been observed for failing to properly close an underground storage tank.
?It is even more crucial now, during California?s drought, to protect groundwater,? said Cris Carrigan, director of the State Water Board?s Office of Enforcement. ?State law requires underground tanks to be constructed and maintained in a manner that prevents releases of petroleum to groundwater. This latest case demonstrates the State Water Board?s continued commitment to protecting our valuable groundwater resources.?
The State Water Board?s Office of Enforcement, together with the Contra Costa County Hazardous Materials Program, El Dorado County Environmental Management, Placer County Environmental Health Division, Sacramento County Environmental Management Department, Yolo County District Attorney Consumer and Environmental Unit, Yolo County Environmental Health, and the Department of Toxic Substance Control?s Office of Criminal Investigations, conducted the multi-year investigation.
This lawsuit is the latest in a series of enforcement actions that the State Water Board?s Office of Enforcement, represented by the California Attorney General?s Office, has brought against violators of California?s underground storage tank laws.
A copy of the complaint, filed in Sacramento County Superior Court, can be found on the State
Water Board?s website at:
http://www.waterboards.ca.gov/water_issues/programs/enforcement/orders_actions.shtml
Contact: Kathie Smith (916) 341-5263
