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1/16/2025
WT Staff
 Knowledge of an environmental crime? Give us a call at 877-52-WATER (877-529-2837), or email info@watertoday.ca
January 16, 2025 543 pm PST
CWA CrimeBox
Environmental Crimes Historic Conviction: Fiscal Year 2013; Case ID# CR_2453(California)
Retail giant fined $110 million for Clean Water Act violations
One of 72 Clean Water Act Criminal Prosecutions in the State of California (from 1989-2023)
The defendant in this case is Wal-Mart California, charged with violation of the Clean Water Act, by way of failing to provide training and supervision to employees at the store level, to ensure compliance with federal and state environmental laws.
The Clean Water Act prohibits discharge of contaminants to waters of the USA without a permit. It is the responsibility of every business generating or handling hazardous materials to ensure compliance with environmental laws, including the Clean Water Act. Federal district court in San Francisco-Oakland-Hayward convened this case, whereby Wal-Mart California admitted that store employees had not been trained in proper handling of hazardous materials. The court heard information concerning the disposal of hazardous solids into ordinary municipal trash bins, from Wal-Mart California stores. Hazardous liquids were routinely disposed of by pouring down the public sanitary sewer drains, in violation of the CWA. In addition to these violations, hazardous materials were improperly handled, stored and transported by Wal-Mart staff throughout the state of California for many years, in violation of state and federal laws, from a date unknown until January 2006.
The corporate defendant pled guilty to the Clean Water Act violation; the judge imposed the sentence of a federal fine of 110 million dollars.
Federal Fine: $110,000,000
CWA CrimeBox briefs are compiled from EPA Criminal Enforcement records.
See last week's CrimeBox here, "Metal plating business claims no industrial wastewater, principal sent to prison 2 years for illegal acidic discharge"
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