This week we saw two Canadian businesses be fined over $1.2 M (CAD) for discharging their “Ammonia bleed water” to a storm drain which discharged into a river killing around 70 fish. The business, a University in British Columbia, hired a refrigeration contractor to make repairs to the refrigeration system, at which time the contractor used a negative pressure device, known as a Venturi, to purge residual ammonia vapors from the refrigeration system. The mixture of water and ammonia was then discharged into a storm drain at the arena, which flowed to the outfall, through a ditch, and into a Creek, which is a tributary of the Fraser River. The Contractor was fined $800,000 after pleading guilty to depositing or permitting the deposit of a deleterious substance into an area that may enter water frequented by fish. The University was fined $1.2 million after being found guilty of the following offenses:
- depositing or permitting the deposit of a deleterious substance into water frequented by fish;
- depositing or permitting the deposit of a deleterious substance into places that may enter waters frequented by fish; and
- failing to report the incident in a timely manner.
In addition to the fine, the University was also ordered to conduct five years of electronic monitoring of storm-water quality at the outfall where the release occurred. The University has filed an appeal against these convictions.