Andover, Mass.-American Refrigeration Co. is letting its customers know that the company has accepted responsibility and agreed to pay a $40,000 fine to resolve federal charges that a company technician dumped ammonia into a drain that led to a wastewater facility in New Hampshire and caused the release of untreated sewage. The facility spent four days getting operations back to normal. Michael Sirois, president, explained that the design/build refrigeration contractor regrets not having appropriate measures and supervision in place at the time that would have prevented the incident. Sirois said the agreement with the U.S. Attorney’s office in Concord, N.H., stipulates the fine plus a $400 special assessment and two years probation. The statement said the incident occurred during transfer of ammonia during servicing. The trained ammonia service technician knowingly poured a mixture of anhydrous ammonia and water down a floor drain that led to the municipal wastewater treatment facility. He was able to transfer most, but not all, of the ammonia to other parts of the refrigeration system. The technician did not obtain permission or contact any federal, state, or local environmental authority, nor did he consult with anyone else at ARC before making the discharge. When the mixture reached the treatment facility it destroyed the biological agents, disabling the treatment and causing the facility to violate its own (National Pollutant Discharge Elimination System (NPDES) permit. In addition to the fine and probation, American must also commission and pay for an audit of its environmental compliance program and comply with any recommendations the auditors make.
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