VELCRO USA INC. (SWH)

Velcro USA's Salmon Falls plant stands alone in serious violation

Along the Salmon Falls River corridor near the New Hampshire-Maine line, the Velcro USA facility is currently flagged by the EPA as being in Significant Non-Compliance — meaning it has failed to meet Clean Water Act permit limits badly enough to trigger the agency's most serious compliance status. Among 150 permitted facilities within 40 kilometers of this stretch of Gulf of Maine Coastal Lowland, it is the only one carrying that designation. Eleven others nearby have active violations of some kind, but none rise to this level. The compliance record pulled this week does not specify which outfall is exceeding limits or by how much, so the exact nature of the discharge problem cannot be characterized further. What is clear is the accountability gap around it: no penalties have been assessed against any facility in the area, and Velcro USA has paid nothing despite the significant non-compliance flag. The Salmon Falls River and its estuary carry a separate burden worth noting. They are already listed among Maine and New Hampshire's impaired waters requiring a pollution reduction plan, a designation from an earlier assessment cycle unrelated to this specific flag. It is a reminder that this watershed was under strain before this violation was even added to the ledger, though no water-quality data ties the two together at this point.