Many people don't realize that discharges of certain chemicals into public sewer systems violates the federal Clean Water Act. Our firm represents a number of wastewater treatment plants here in Alabama, so we see firsthand the effects of illegal discharges into sewer systems.
Last month, KIK (Virginia) LLC pleaded guilty in federal court in Virginia and agreed to pay a $75,000 criminal fine plus $25,000 in community service payments for negligent discharges of bleach to the local sanitary sewer system, which is a misdemeanor violation of the federal Clean Water Act. In addition to the criminal fine and community service payment, KIK has agreed to serve one year of probation, during which it will continue to develop and implement an environmental management system that it began developing during the investigation. It also will complete an environmental audit conducted by an independent auditor.
KIK operated a facility that manufactured bleach and other household products. In September 2003, local authorities discovered elevated concentrations of bleach in the sanitary sewer lines servicing the facility. An investigation revealed that, at that time and for a number of years before, under previous owners, employees at the plant washed bleach that had been spilled in the production and bottling process and off-specification bleach into the plant’s floor drains. The floor drains channeled the bleach into the plant’s drainage system, which lead to the city's sanitary sewer system. The plant did not have a permit to discharge bleach to the sewer system and did not monitor its discharges.
The Clean Water Act prohibits discharges into a sewer system of any pollutants that the discharger knows (or should know) could cause property damage. Bleach is a corrosive chemical that, in sufficient concentration, may damage metal and other materials used in the sewer system and is considered a pollutant under the Clean Water Act. Other substances which could cause problems if dumped into the local sewer system include oil and grease, ammonia, pesticides, cleaning products, and medications, to name just a few.
Last month, KIK (Virginia) LLC pleaded guilty in federal court in Virginia and agreed to pay a $75,000 criminal fine plus $25,000 in community service payments for negligent discharges of bleach to the local sanitary sewer system, which is a misdemeanor violation of the federal Clean Water Act. In addition to the criminal fine and community service payment, KIK has agreed to serve one year of probation, during which it will continue to develop and implement an environmental management system that it began developing during the investigation. It also will complete an environmental audit conducted by an independent auditor.
KIK operated a facility that manufactured bleach and other household products. In September 2003, local authorities discovered elevated concentrations of bleach in the sanitary sewer lines servicing the facility. An investigation revealed that, at that time and for a number of years before, under previous owners, employees at the plant washed bleach that had been spilled in the production and bottling process and off-specification bleach into the plant’s floor drains. The floor drains channeled the bleach into the plant’s drainage system, which lead to the city's sanitary sewer system. The plant did not have a permit to discharge bleach to the sewer system and did not monitor its discharges.
The Clean Water Act prohibits discharges into a sewer system of any pollutants that the discharger knows (or should know) could cause property damage. Bleach is a corrosive chemical that, in sufficient concentration, may damage metal and other materials used in the sewer system and is considered a pollutant under the Clean Water Act. Other substances which could cause problems if dumped into the local sewer system include oil and grease, ammonia, pesticides, cleaning products, and medications, to name just a few.
