ANMOORE, W.Va. — An Anmoore manufacturing facility is facing multiple violations following a suspected equipment failure on Dec. 29 that caused an oil spill.
West Virginia Department of Environmental Protection Assistant Chief Inspector of Environmental Enforcement Brad Wright said Amsted Graphite Materials (AGM) was using an oil/water separation system that malfunctioned.
“The water is discharged through multiple oil/water separators, and my understanding is the tank associated with this system failed, and the water overwhelmed all the separators and reached the stream,” Wright said.
Wright said the amount of oil that went into the stream has not been determined, but he said there was no documented damage to aquatic life. The release did create a sheen in Ann Moore Run, Elk Creek, and the West Fork River that stretched ten miles downstream.
“We in Environmental Enforcement ensure that a responsible party for a release fulfills their duty to remediate or render harmless any release to waters in the state,” Wright said.
DEP inspectors were at the scene of the spill not before it happened and reported it to be “satisfactory” at that time. Hours later, the spill was reported, and DEP personnel were dispatched to the area. Monitoring of the area continued for about a week after the spill.
“We’re going to look closer at the facility in its entirety for an inspection, and based on the combined findings of our investigation into this release and the site inspection, we will determine our next steps,” Wright said.
Wright said AGM has violated clean water standards in the past, and those prior violations will be considered during the penalty phase when this inspection and investigation conclude.
“We have had informal and formal enforcement actions on Amsted Graphite Materials in the past,” Wright said. “They have reported releases in the past, and the Environmental Protection Agency has also taken enforcement actions on Amsted Graphite Materials in the past.”