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PA VIRGINIA MAN INDICTED FOR VIOLATING THE CLEAN WATER ACT

Release Date: 04/17/98
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FOR RELEASE: FRIDAY, APRIL 17, 1998

VIRGINIA MAN INDICTED FOR VIOLATING THE CLEAN WATER ACT

On April 9, L. Robert Kirk of Midlothian, Va., was indicted in U.S. District Court for the District of Virginia in Richmond on twelve counts of violating the Clean Water Act. Kirk operated the Environmental Restoration Company (ERC) in Richmond. ERC was in the business of storing and treating wastewater contaminated with oil and other petroleum products. Under the terms of its wastewater discharge permit, ERC was to pretreat wastewater discharged into Richmond’s sewer system in order to reduce the concentration of pollutants. Kirk is charged with altering laboratory certificates to falsely indicate that wastewater contaminants were below regulated levels. The defendant is also charged with discharging untreated wastewater after renaming his business Avion Environmental Group. If convicted on all counts, the defendant faces a maximum sentence of up to three years in prison and/or fines of up to $250,000 on each of the 10 alleged wastewater pretreatment violations and up to two years in prison and/or fines of up to $250,000 on each of the two alleged false statement violations. The case was investigated by EPA’s Criminal Investigation Division and the Defense Criminal Investigative Service.

R-41 ###