|
|
|
  
4/16/2026
WT Staff
 Knowledge of an environmental crime? Give us a call at 877-52-WATER (877-529-2837), or email info@wtny.us
April 16, 2025 1102 am EDT
CrimeBox
Historic Conviction Fiscal Year 2015; Case ID# CR_2719 (Iowa)
Meat packing employee gets six weekends in jail for discharging contaminants to US waters
The Defendant in this case was a mid-50's age employee of Sioux-Preme Packing, a pork processing facility at Sioux City, Iowa. The Defendant was responsible for the facility's wastewater containment and treatment system, here charged with a single count violation of the CWA, knowingly discharging a contaminant to waters of the USA.
In or around August 2012, Sioux-Preme Packing Corporation contracted a service to dredge the wastewater lagoons. On October 23, just ahead of the scheduled work, the Defendant opened up all the valves in the pump house to drain the lagoons. The contents measured 845,000 gallons, including hog manure and biological contaminants, which flowed into an unnamed tributary of the Floyd River watershed. The Defendant admitted that the wastewater had not been tested prior to discharge.
Iowa Department of Natural Resources (IDNR) Spencer field office began receiving calls about cloudy water and stressed fish in the West Branch of Floyd River. Investigators tracked the contamination source back to the meat packer, the fish kill was confirmed occurring two days after the lagoons were emptied.
IDNR Fisheries Bureau completed their assessment, finding the plume of contaminant extended 11.13 miles, with multiple species of fish impacted. The Federal District Court in Iowa judge sentenced the Defendant to six weekends locked up in prison, followed by a year of probation.
The case was investigated by the United States Environmental Protection Agency and the Iowa Department of Natural Resources and is being prosecuted by Assistant United States Attorney Forde Fairchild.
Prison: 12 days, served on weekends; Probation: 12 months.
See last week's CrimeBox here, "Industrial Laundromat discharges oil and grease contaminated wastewater for nearly three years, fined $450,000"
CrimeBox briefs are compiled from EPA Criminal Enforcement records.
|
|
|
|
All rights reserved 2026 - WTNY - This material may not be reproduced in whole or in part and may not be distributed,
publicly performed, proxy cached or otherwise used, except with express permission.
|
|
