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PA OHIO ELECTROPLATING COMPANY CHARGED FOR DUMPING WASTE
Release Date: 05/01/98
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FOR RELEASE: FRIDAY, MAY 1, 1998
OHIO ELECTROPLATING COMPANY CHARGED FOR DUMPING WASTE
On April 8, Pentagon Industries of Cleveland, Ohio was charged in U.S. District Court for the Northern District of Ohio in Cleveland with illegally discharging electroplating wastes into a public sewer system in violation of the Clean Water Act. Pentagon operated a facility under the name of Deluxe Bumpers in Cleveland. The defendant allegedly discharged wastewaters into a sewer operated by the Northeast Ohio Regional Sewer District, despite an order from the District to cease and desist. The wastewaters had a pH between 12 and 14 and contained excessive levels of hexavalent chrome which can potentially damage publicly-owned sewage treatment systems. High pH levels can cause exposed sanitary district workers to suffer illness and chemical burns. If convicted, the company faces a maximum fine of up to $500,000. The case was investigated by EPA’s Criminal Investigation Division, the Northeast Ohio Regional Sewer District and the FBI.
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