D. J. Cronin Inc. operates a liquid and dry bulk transportation company from facilities in Seekonk, Massachusetts. On March 24, 2015, a tanker truck operated by D. J. Cronin Inc. overturned int he Bourne Rotary in Bourne, Massachusetts. According to the Massachusetts State Police Incident Report, excessive speed and negligent operation contributed to the accident. The driver of the tanker truck was charged with negligent operation of a motor vehicle, speeding, and a marked lanes violation.
When the tanker truck rolled over it released approximately 5,300 gallons of gasoline onto the roadway which leads into storm drains. The spill stained, stressed and killed certain plants and vegetation along the spill path leading to a wetlands system. The wetlands system drains to the Cape Cod Canal. Approximately 920 gallons (22 barrels) of gasoline entered the Cape Cod Canal which flows to the Atlantic Ocean. The affected area required excavation and restoration of the wetland area, including indigenous species.
Massachusetts State Police, the Bourne Fire Department, and environmental emergency response units responded to the accident. D. J. Cronin Inc. hired Common Sense Environmental, Inc. to clean-up the spill. The Agency deemed that the response and notification actions were adequate.
EPA executed an ESA with the facility to resolve this matter as a CWA Class I administrative enforcement action. D. J. Cronin paid an $8,000 penalty. The ESA penalties are consistent