SAM Magazine--March 28, 2013--Following an inspection by the Department of Toxic Substances Control in September 2010, which found several violations relating to a used-oil tank, Heavenly Valley, Calif., settled the matter this week by agreeing to pay a civil penalty of $94,000, an adminstrative fee of $26,000, and another $30,000 to Western States Project, which supports and enhances the environmental enforcement programs of its members. At no time did the oil tank release or spill any substance and when it was originally installed with the approval of El Dorado County, the Forest Service and Lahontan Water Quality Control Board in the early 1990s, the tank was completely in compliance with the standards at the time.

According to the report by the Department of Toxic Substances Control, the used-oil tank at the resort's upper maintenance shop was not in compliance with evolving state standards. The volations were: lacked controls to prevent spillage and overflow, the resort failed to have the tank assessed and inspected, failed to provide refresher training for the personnel in charge, and failed to maintain secondary containment of the used oil tank. Heavenly has since worked closely with the state to upgrade the waste containment facility at the site and has a plan for keeping current with the standards as they change. Heavenly  agreed to maintain tank assessments and tank inspection records, to provide personnel training for all site employees, to conduct daily tank inspections, to clean up any spills immediately and report them, to have an independent engineer assess the tank every five years, and to provide and maintain a secondary containment and ancillary equipment.

In a statement to SAM, Heavenly says, "The upside of this has been an ongoing, open dialogue with the state. This dialogue and the resulting relationship will help us stay in compliance in the future. Environmental stewardship and doing the right thing are important parts of our culture at Heavenly."