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PA MISSOURI PLANT OPERATOR PLEADS GUILTY TO WATER VIOLATIONS

Release Date: 09/11/98
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FOR RELEASE: FRIDAY, SEPTEMBER 11, 1998
MISSOURI PLANT OPERATOR PLEADS GUILTY TO WATER VIOLATIONS

Kenneth Bender, former superintendent of Alliance Water Resources (AWR) of Columbia, Mo., pleaded guilty on Sept. 2, in U.S. District Court for the Eastern District of Missouri in St. Louis to violating the Clean Water Act. AWR contracted to operate wastewater treatment plants for the North East Public Sewer District in Jefferson County. Bender admitted that in 1996 he knowingly discharged sludge and other pollutants into Saline Creek which is a tributary of the Meramec River. Sewage sludge is a source of bacteria and other pathogens which can cause intestinal and other disorders to people who come in contact with contaminated water. Contamination of streams with sludge can also cause significant damage to aquatic life. The case was investigated by EPA’s Criminal Investigation Division.


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