Lange Agricultural Systems, located in Willmar, paid $12,511 for violations of both its hazardous waste and industrial wastewater permits. The Minnesota Pollution Control Agency (MPCA) investigation in July 2024 found that the hazardous waste violations stemmed from the company’s improper disposal, storage, and burning of used engine oil. The industrial wastewater permit violation occurred because the company poured contaminated wastewater into a storm drain that had the potential to contaminate surface water and groundwater.
In addition to paying the penalty, the company agreed to complete the following actions:
- dispose of its used oil through an oil disposal company
- train employees and submit a statement on how the company will dispose of used oil going forward
- use a disposal company to dispose of wastewater and address wastewater issues
The MPCA remains 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.
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 company gained by failing to comply with environmental laws in a timely manner.