EPA settles with Guam Shipyard to reduce pollution at Apra Harbor Facility

Oct 19, 2022

PITI, Guam – The U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) has reached a settlement with Guam Shipyard to meet pollutant discharge requirements under the Clean Water Act to protect Apra Harbor.

“EPA will continue to focus enforcement actions on facilities that directly pollute coral reef ecosystems,” said EPA Pacific Southwest Regional Administrator Martha Guzman. “This settlement will prevent industrial stormwater pollution from impacting Apra Harbor and its important coastal resources.”

Guam Shipyard operates a ship repair facility on Cabras Island in Piti, Guam.  It has conducted industrial activities, including boat repair, maintenance, and material storage, since at least January 2016.  The facility is authorized to discharge industrial stormwater through a Clean Water Act permit.

In 2019 EPA issued an order to Guam Shipyard on stormwater discharge permitting and pollution requirements. Two years later the Shipyard and EPA reached a settlement regarding the same set of issues.

However, in 2022 EPA and Guam EPA inspected the facility and found violations of the Shipyard’s permit obligations. EPA inspectors observed the facility had a large accumulation of waste materials throughout the site, including debris, blasting grit, paints and oil which may discharge directly into Apra Harbor. Additionally, the facility failed to conduct monitoring and failed to submit required reports to EPA.

EPA is therefore now requiring the facility to:

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  --  Clean the site of spills, garbage, and waste materials.
  --  Implement Best Management Practices to prevent discharge of pollutants to Apra Harbor.
  --  Update its Stormwater Pollution Prevention Plan to control pollutants.
  --  Submit monitoring reports to EPA.
  --  Provide employee training to prevent pollution from occurring.

For more information on industrial stormwater requirements, please visit: https://www.epa.gov/npdes/industrial-stormwater-guidance

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For Immediate Release: October 19, 2022
Media Contact: Alejandro Diaz, 808-541-2711, [email protected]