EPA Approves Permits for Mich. Hazardous Waste Wells

Environmental Geo-Technologies  (EGT) LLC has gotten approval from the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) to reopen two hazardous waste injection wells in Romulus, Mich.

The EPA approved new permits with stricter conditions for environmental protection than the previous permits granted to the prior operators of the facility, the agency said in a press release.

Constructed in 2002, the wells initially operated by Environmental Disposal Systems (EDS). In 2007, EPA terminated EDS’ operating permit, citing poor recordkeeping, inexperienced and ill-trained operators, failure to perform emergency tests and failure to tell regulators that ownership had been passed to another company, RDD Operations LLC.
With the new permits the EPA will require EGT to increase site security; increase the frequency of mechanical integrity testing; have stricter training requirements; and increase sampling and analysis of every waste load to better characterize the waste before it is injected into the wells, among other conditions.

The permit is available on EPA’s website: http://www.epa.gov/region5/water/uic/egt.