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City orders cleanup cost recovery after illicit cooking‑oil discharge; vendor identified
Summary
The board approved an ordinance to recoup cleanup costs stemming from an illicit discharge of fats, oils and grease; meeting materials list the cleanup cost as $1,938.54 and identify the discharging contractor as Aid & J Hood Cleaners, hired by a local establishment.
The Board of Estimate and Contract approved an ordinance Feb. 18 authorizing the city to recover costs for an illicit sewer discharge response. Meeting documents describe an incident in which a contractor hired to remove used cooking oil was observed discharging fats, oils and grease into a municipal storm/sewer system. The New York State Department of Environmental Conservation’s spill response team responded and worked with city Department of Public Works crews to mitigate the discharge.
The board-approved recovery is intended to cover overtime, contractor and equipment costs the city incurred during emergency mitigation; the amount listed in the meeting paperwork is $1,938.54. City staff said the discharge was performed by Aid & J Hood Cleaners, which the city identified as the responsible party; the establishment that hired that vendor was identified in the ordinance paperwork as Chicken Hut. Staff told the board the city would charge the responsible party for actual cleanup costs rather than issuing only a statutory ticket that might be lower than the mitigation cost.
DPW staff and board members noted that the city offers an established used-cooking-oil drop-off program at fire stations and has arrangements for hauling such waste, and that businesses had been informed of that option. The board approved the ordinance by roll call; staff will invoice the responsible party and may seek recovery through available administrative or legal remedies.
The ordinance authorizes fees to reimburse the city for response and cleanup costs and does not, on its face, describe separate criminal or civil penalties beyond the cost recovery; staff indicated enforcement and any additional fines would proceed under applicable city code and state law where appropriate.
