4/22/2024
WT Staff
CWA CrimeBox
Environmental Crimes Historic Conviction: Fiscal Year 1992; Case ID# CR_424(Louisiana)
Defendant dumped 200 gallons of chrome plating solution down home sewer drain
One of 67 Criminal Prosecutions in Louisiana under the Clean Water Act (from 1989-2022)
The defendant in this case is an individual that operated a business in Lafayette, Louisiana, for refinishing automotive parts with chrome plating. When the business was rolled up and moved out of its rented commercial space, materials and equipment had to be removed, including a vat of chrome plating solution. The defendant transferred the vat containing heavy metal contaminated fluid to his personal home, eventually discarding an estimated 200 gallons down the sanitary sewer. The defendant did not have a permit to discharge the hazardous material, and the public sanitary sewer system is not set up to receive such waste.
The defendant plead guilty to a single count violation of the Clean Water Act for the hazardous materials discharge without permit. The judge sentenced a federal fine, community service hours and a lengthy period of probation.
Federal Fine: $2500; Community Service: 1208 hours; Probation: 60 months
CWA CrimeBox briefs are compiled from EPA Criminal Enforcement records.
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