Mobile Home Parks' Owners Settle CWA Violations
Among other things, the settling entities agreed to hire an approved third-party environmental consultant to perform audits at each mobile home park, including examination of the treatment, collection, and drinking water systems.
EPA announced a settlement with Frank Perano and a series of his corporations and related entities that own, operate, and/or manage mobile home parks in Pennsylvania, Delaware, and Virginia. "After a joint multi-year investigation, EPA and the Pennsylvania Department of Environmental Protection found evidence of more than 4,300 Clean Water Act violations at 15 mobile home parks in Pennsylvania where the defendants treat waste water, and more than 900 Safe Drinking Water Act violations at 30 mobile home parks also in Pennsylvania," according to the announcement.
A complaint filed with the proposed consent decree in federal court in the Eastern District of Pennsylvania details violations during the past five years, and a monetary settlement will be divided between the United States and Pennsylvania.
The CWA violations involved illegal discharges of partially treated or untreated sewage into nearby streams and failure to properly operate and maintain treatment facilities. Safe Drinking Water Act violations generally involved the defendants' exceeding federal drinking water standards for certain pollutants and failing to notify residents about drinking water problems.
Not all of the defendants' mobile home parks were cited for violations. The consent decree requires the defendants to take steps that include:
- Hiring an approved third-party environmental consultant to perform environmental audits at each mobile home park, including examination of the treatment, collection, and drinking water systems.
- Implementing corrective measures in a timely fashion, subject to EPA and PADEP oversight and approval.
- Conducting monthly compliance evaluations at all mobile home parks.
- Implementing specific corrective measures at two mobile home parks in Pennsylvania where significant problems were found.
- Working with the environmental consultant to develop a company-wide set of processes and practices to reduce environmental impacts and help prevent these violations from recurring.
"This settlement protects human health and the environment by requiring the defendants to improve their environmental management systems and achieve compliance at their numerous mobile home parks," said EPA Regional Administrator Shawn M. Garvin. "While reinforcing our commitment to environmental justice for rural communities, this case demonstrates the benefit of federal and state agencies working together to hold chronic violators of environmental regulations accountable for their actions."