Jordan Sands, a sand mining and processing company based in North Mankato, has paid a $20,000 civil penalty to the Minnesota Pollution Control Agency (MPCA) for wastewater violations.
MPCA staff inspections confirmed that the company failed to monitor numerous pollutant parameters, failed to verify the accuracy of meters designed to monitor flow and discharges, and failed to implement corrective actions to achieve limits on certain pollutants in its discharges. In addition, between 2014 and 2019, nearly 190 required discharge monitoring reports were either missing or submitted late.
In addition to paying the civil penalty, Jordan Sands was required to submit a plan to the MPCA documenting how the company will ensure that all monitoring parameters are sampled and reported as required, and ensure that appropriate staff receive proper pollution-prevention training.
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 takes into account 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.
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