The Minnesota Pollution Control Agency (MPCA) fined Bruening Rock Products Inc., a construction company based in Iowa, $16,410 for water pollution and permit violations.
On June 4, 2025, MPCA staff conducted a routine visit and file review at a site in Harmony and found evidence that sediment from ponded stormwater had been discharged into Camp Creek, a designated trout stream. Bruening failed to establish sediment control practices and did not have documentation of an inventory or list of materials and activities at the work site that could potentially be a source of pollutants to stormwater discharges. Necessary testing and maintenance, including stormwater sample collection, had also not been completed.
In addition to paying the fine, Bruening will implement a prevention plan and take corrective action to avoid further sediment discharges into Camp Creek and the Big Spring headwaters.
The MPCA is committed to protecting human health and the environment by enforcing rules and regulations and limiting pollution and discharges from facilities. When facilities do not fully comply with regulatory requirements, the resulting pollution can be harmful to people and the environment. Since 2019, the MPCA has issued 8,580 enforcement actions amounting to nearly $25 million in penalties. Penalty payments go into the state’s environmental fund, which is appropriated by the Legislature and enables the MPCA to protect communities and the environment from harmful pollution.
When calculating penalties, the MPCA considers a number of factors including the seriousness of the violation, the potential for harm to human health or the environment, history of noncompliance, and the economic benefit the company gained by failing to comply with environmental laws.