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IOWA CITIZEN ACTION LEADS TO COMPANY GUILTY PLEA

Release Date: 07/01/99
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FOR RELEASE: THURSDAY, JULY 1, 1999

IOWA CITIZEN ACTION LEADS TO COMPANY GUILTY PLEA

In the first criminal case brought against a hog farm under the Clean Water Act, Trace Inc. of Minneapolis, Minn., pleaded guilty in U.S. District Court for the Northern District of Iowa in Cedar Rapids to violation the Clean Water Act by illegally discharging wastewater containing hog manure from a hog facility it operated near Saratoga, Iowa. The discharge, which occurred in July 1997, entered Crane Creek where it polluted an 8.5 mile stretch of the creek and killed approximately 109,000 fish. Eric Souhrada of Madrid, Iowa, a concerned citizen, videotaped the fish kill, traced the pollution to the hog facility and alerted law enforcement authorities. Mr. Souhrada received a Community Crime Spotter award for his actions. As part of the plea, Trace has agreed to pay a $10,000 fine and provide $30,000 in restitution to the state of Iowa which intends to use the money to improve fish habitat on Crane Creek. The case was investigated by EPA’s Criminal Investigation Division, the Iowa Department of Natural Resources, and was prosecuted by the U.S. Department of Justice.


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