Kroschel Township and First State Tire Disposal, Inc. began improvements to old 370th Avenue Town Road West near Sandstone, Minnesota, in May 2021, and failed to obtain a construction stormwater permit until June 2023, according to a Minnesota Pollution Control Agency (MPCA) investigation. The regulated parties were fined a combined $47,555 for these violations.
The MPCA found that the regulated parties:
- Failed to get a construction stormwater permit
- Failed to have a stormwater pollution prevention plan
- Failed to install erosion and sediment controls across more than eight acres of disturbed soils
- Failed to have appropriate training for inspections
- Failed to conduct 78 inspections
- Caused nuisance conditions by discharging sediment to 13 wetlands adjacent to the construction site which required the cleanup of 10,564 square feet of sediment
In addition to the penalty, Kroschel Township and First State Tire Disposal, Inc. have completed a series of corrective actions that addressed violations identified by the MPCA.
MPCA rules and regulations are designed to protect human health and the environment by limiting pollution emissions and discharges from facilities. When companies do not fully comply with regulatory requirements, the resulting pollution can be harmful to people and the environment.
When calculating penalties, the MPCA considers how seriously the violations affected or could have affected the environment, and whether they were first-time or repeat violations. The agency also attempts to recover the economic benefit the regulated party gained by failing to comply with environmental laws in a timely manner.