The Tennessee Department of Environment & Conservation (“TDEC”) issued a January 11th Director’s Order and Assessment (“Order”) to Pilot Travel Centers LLC (“Pilot”) addressing alleged violations of the Tennessee Water Quality Control Act. See Director’s Order No. WPC21-0152.
The Order provides that Pilot owns and operates a gasoline service station and convenience store (“Facility”) in Knoxville, Tennessee.
The TDEC Division of Water Resources (“Division”) is stated to have issued a National Pollution Discharge Elimination System (“NPDES”) permit to Pilot on August 1, 2018, for the Facility. This permit authorizes stormwater runoff and wash water to be discharged through the Internal Monitoring Point 02A at Grable Branch, which eventually flows into Hickory Creek.
The Order refers to three Notices of Violations that Pilot received from 2020 to 2021, and responses from Pilot describing the possible causes and corrective actions taken.
According to the United States Environmental Protection Agency Quarterly Non Compliance Report, Pilot Facility was listed for multiple quarters in the monitoring period from June 1, 2020 through November 30, 2021 for effluent limit exceedances. Pilot is also reported to have reported the following NPDES permit effluent violations in its Discharge Monitoring reports for the Facility during the monitoring period from June 2020 to Nov 2021:
- E.Coli – 7
- Solids, Total Suspended- 17
Pilot will be assessed a civil penalty amounting to $5,027. Pilot must also pay contingent penalties of $45,243, as described in Items 3-6. The Order, Items 3-6, requires Pilot to submit a Corrective Action Plan within a specified time period to the Division. Pilot must approve any actions that will eventually lead to compliance by the Division.
Pilot has certain appeal rights under the Order.
Download a copy the Order Here.
