EPA Warns Schools About Oil Spill Risks

Recent oil spills occurring at schools have prompted the Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) New England regional office to alert school officials in every city and town in New Hampshire and Vermont to the risks posed by improper oil storage and the potential for oil spill accidents from school heating and oil storage systems.

By providing this information, the EPA aims to assist schools to understand and implement spill prevention techniques. It also is helping school officials ensure that their schools are in compliance with state and federal laws that pertain to oil storage.

Over the last several years there have been several highly publicized fuel oil spill incidents at public schools across New England. The most recent was at an elementary school in Saxtons River, Vermont. These incidents have resulted in the release of thousands of gallons of fuel oil into rivers, lakes and streams, resulting in damage to the environment, costly cleanups, and civil penalties for the affected school districts.

The federal Clean Water Act requires facilities that store over certain threshold amounts of oil to have spill prevention plans and adequate secondary containment at their storage tanks. States also have specific requirements pertaining to underground storage tanks.

For more information, click here.

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