Hydro fined for environmental violations

AUGUSTA – Bangor Hydro-Electric Co. and a construction contractor were fined nearly $120,000 on Thursday for violating state environmental laws when they installed a new transmission line and upgraded an old one between Veazie and Orrington.

The companies failed to use erosion control measures during the work that occurred last winter in Veazie, Eddington, Brewer and Orrington. This resulted in the discharge of silt and soil into two streams that flow into the Penobscot River, home to Atlantic salmon, according to a consent decree approved by the Board of Environmental Protection at its regular meeting in Augusta. Atlantic salmon are a federally protected endangered species, although the Penobscot River is not included in the listing.

While working on the lines that run for seven miles from the new natural gas-fired power plant in Veazie to a substation in Orrington, crossing 23 wetlands along the way, Seaward Corporation of Kittery, the contractor hired by Bangor Hydro, did not install silt fences or hay bales to control erosion. In addition, heavy equipment was driven through seven tributaries of Eaton Brook and Felts Brook in Brewer, according to the consent decree.

These activities meant silt and soil ran directly into the small streams.

Having silt and soil in the water has been known to harm fish because it decreases the amount of oxygen available for them to breathe, said Ryan Annis of the Department of Environmental Protection’s land resource regulation division. In addition, when large amounts of soil settle to the bottom of the river, it can result in a loss of fish habitat.

Annis said he did not know if any short- or long-term damage was done but that the potential existed.

The problem was corrected quickly, but because of the number of violations and the fact the situation clearly was preventable, the companies were fined $119,000, the Department of Environmental Protection said in a memo accompanying the consent decree.

The work was done in the winter when the ground was frozen solid, said Robert Briggs, president of Bangor Hydro. However, spring came early and fast and the ground thawed very quickly, he said.

“We fell down,” Briggs said. “We lost our focus on this one.”

He said Bangor Hydro employees immediately went through a refresher course on erosion control.

The violations went on for a week or two, he said. But, he did not believe any permanent damage had been done to the corridor, which the power lines share with the natural gas pipeline.