EPA orders Clean Water Act compliance at Rincón residential project
The U.S. Environmental Protection Agency has issued an administrative order directing Desarrolladora Yahir Inc. and A & M Group Inc. to comply with the Clean Water Act after finding violations at a residential construction site in the Puntas Ward of Rincón.
According to the agency, sediment from the site entered nearby surface waters. The order requires the companies to stop discharging pollutants immediately and to comply with construction permitting and stormwater runoff regulations.
“When developers and contractors don’t comply with common-sense requirements to control erosion and run-off from sites, they can pollute nearby waters,” said EPA Regional Administrator Michael Martucci.
The EPA said the companies violated the terms of a general construction permit intended to reduce the impact of runoff on waterways. The order calls for erosion and sediment controls to prevent stormwater from reaching Piletas Creek and the Caribbean Sea, and requires the companies to submit progress reports on compliance measures.
Stormwater runoff is a “serious threat” to sensitive coastal areas such as the Rincón Tres Palmas Marine Reserve, the agency said. Under the Clean Water Act, any construction project disturbing one or more acres near water bodies must have proper stormwater controls and a valid permit.
