BAR HARBOR, Maine — A local hotel company has paid a civil penalty of more than $5,000 for violating state environmental laws when an employee dumped mineral spirits and paint into a drain that emptied into Frenchman Bay, according to a state agency.
An employee at the Atlantic Oceanside Hotel & Conference Center, which is owned by the Witham Family Limited Partnership, dumped about two gallons of waste mineral spirits and oil-based paint down a storm drain, according to a monthly enforcement report released by the Maine Department of Environmental Protection. The drain discharges into a drainage ditch that flows into Frenchman Bay.
The report lists “actions” from May 2015, but it is not clear from the report when the paint was dumped down the drain.
“At the time of the discharge, there was considerable surface water flow in the ditch causing the pollutants to discharge directly into the bay,” the report indicated.
The company has agreed to train staff who deal with paint and other hazardous waste on how to properly handle and dispose of such substances, according to the DEP. It also has paid a civil penalty of $5,115.
David J. Witham, principal owner of the company, did not respond to an emailed request for comment Monday afternoon.
In addition to the Atlantic Oceanside, Witham owns or co-owns 14 other hotel properties, 10 of which are in Bar Harbor, in Hancock County. His latest hotel, a Hampton Inn in Bar Harbor, opened on the former Summit House nursing home site this past spring.
The state agency also took enforcement action against a man who owns property on Green Lake in Ellsworth.
According to the DEP report, Alan K. Toothaker placed sand on about 750 square feet of land below the lake’s normal high water line. After being contacted by DEP, Toothaker subsequently removed the sand, took other corrective actions, and agreed to submit a restoration plan for affected upland areas within 75 feet of the lake. He also paid a $1,485 civil monetary penalty.
