Depot facing fines

State regulators are proposing fining Anniston Army Depot $12,750 for several pollution violations.

The violations include a failure to properly document the disposal of hazardous waste in September and January. Depot officials say the facility would pay the fine, adding that the violations did not pose a threat to humans or the environment and have been corrected.  The depot employs about 3,000 people and repairs combat vehicles and overhauls firearms for the U.S. Army. Alabama Department of Environmental Management officials signed the proposal July 6.  According to the ADEM proposal, the depot failed to provide a manifest in September for 3,248 pounds of waste munitions sent off-site for disposal in Missouri. The depot reported the violation to ADEM, then corrected the issue by adding more checks to the facility's waste shipment and manifesting procedures and retrained the workers involved.

The proposal also states that the depot sent demolition materials off for disposal, but failed to document that a corrosive liquid was part of the shipment. As such, the disposal facility returned the liquid to the depot.

The depot reported the violation to ADEM and then corrected the issue.

Other violations reported included the depot's failure to determine if the waste generated by three paint booths last year was hazardous. The depot also failed last year to maintain the training records for seven of its employees who deal with hazardous waste.

The depot corrected the issues by retraining personnel on the management of paint filters and enhanced its hazardous waste training tracking procedures.