L.A. airports agency settles storage tank violations for $2.4 million

Los Angeles World Airports has reached a $2.4-million settlement with the state to resolve allegations that the agency failed to properly oversee underground storage tanks for hazardous substances at three airports, state regulators announced Monday.

Although no leaks were found, the State Water Resources Control Board accused the city department of violating leak prevention requirements at 19 tanks at Los Angeles International Airport, L.A./Ontario International Airport and Van Nuys Airport.

Control board officials alleged that Los Angeles World Airports did not properly monitor tanks, performed late tests on monitoring equipment and failed to install secondary containment measures.

Among the 19 facilities, state investigators discovered three unpermitted and unmonitored underground storage tanks at an LAX site used to simulate airplane crashes and fires for first responders.

Officials said those tanks were used to collect hazardous runoff from firefighting drills, which were staged by burning aviation fuel under a steel mock-up of an airplane fuselage.

David Boyers, the water board’s assistant chief counsel, said Los Angeles World Airports and the Los Angeles Fire Department should have known the three tanks posed a risk to the environment and required state permits.

Boyers said the state ordered the airport department to test the soil beneath all the tanks in question and that those examinations did not find any leaks.

“Thankfully,” he added, “there was no contamination that resulted from the violations.”

Under the settlement, Los Angeles World Airports will pay $1.2 million in civil penalties and $100,000 for enforcement costs.

But the remaining $1.1 million might never be paid. A payment of $650,000 will be suspended on the condition that improvements are made to the tanks. The other $450,000 will not have to be paid as long as the airport department complies with leak prevention and permit requirements for five years.

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