DENVER — EPA announced that Maralex Disposal LLC (Maralex) has been found liable for violations of the Safe Drinking Water Act at its commercial brine disposal injection well in La Plata County, Colorado on the Southern Ute Reservation.
Maralex was assessed a penalty of $89,900.
The decision issued by an administrative judge following a hearing in October 2012, upheld EPA’s finding of violations of Underground Injection Control (UIC) permit requirements at Maralex’s Dara Ferguson Injection Well #1, a large-capacity disposal well that injects brine and production wastes to an injection zone approximately 8,000 feet below the surface, stated the release.
These violations, which include failure to maintain mechanical integrity of the well, failure to monitor as required and inaccurate reporting, were discovered through EPA inspections and reports received from the company.
“Companies that dispose of production wastes into the subsurface are responsible for taking steps to ensure injection wells are not leaking,” said Mike Gaydosh, director of EPA’s enforcement program in Denver. “Compliance with these monitoring and mechanical integrity requirements minimizes the risk of waste fluids moving into aquifers and prevents the contamination of drinking water sources.”
Read the entire press release here.
