Pan Am Railways agrees to $152K settlement amid alleged violations at Massachusetts facility

Pan Am Railways has agreed to pay $152,000 to settle allegations that it violated the federal environmental laws at rail yards in western Massachusetts and Maine.

The EPA announced the agreement Tuesday. The agency says the Billerica-based railroad company violated conditions of a permit related to storm water management at its Deerfield, Massachusetts, rail yard.

The agency also said the company failed to implement practices to mitigate the potential for pollution in at-risk areas and did not perform stormwater inspections in 2011 and 2012.

The EPA says that if stormwater isn't properly controlled, there is risk it could run into waterways, cause habitat degradation and other problems.

The settlement also covers violations at Pan Am's Waterville, Maine, facility from this past winter.