The U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) announced a settlement with Sunrise Power Company for claims of Safe Drinking Water Act violations at the company’s Sunrise Power Plant in Kern County, California. Sunrise Power has agreed to pay a penalty of $55,788 to resolve permit violations of the Underground Injection Control Program.
“Facilities operating underground injection wells must comply with all permit conditions in order to protect underground sources of drinking water,” said EPA Pacific Southwest Regional Administrator Martha Guzman. “Failure to adhere to all permit requirements risks damage to vital and limited groundwater resources.”
EPA classifies injection wells into one of six types. Sunrise Power has a permit to inject non-hazardous waste, such as plant and equipment drains wastewater, into the Upper Tulare formation via a Class I Non-Hazardous Waste Injection Well permit. EPA claims that in June 2022 Sunrise Power violated the permit and the Safe Drinking Water Act by failing to maintain the mechanical integrity of an injection well, allowing wastewater to rise to the ground surface.
Injection wells are used to place fluid underground into porous geologic formations for storage or disposal. EPA’s Underground Injection Control Program works with underground injection well owners and operators to ensure their practices do not impact underground sources of drinking water. EPA conducts regular inspections to verify injection well operations comply with the injection well permits and applicable requirements.
