Phila. firm fined $200K for doctoring pollution samples

By Meeri Kim, Inquirer Staff Writer
Posted: July 29, 2012

A Philadelphia chemical company was fined $200,000 Friday for altering its polluted wastewater to fool regulators.

Nupro Industries Corp. was sentenced to three years' probation, in addition to the fine, for "criminally tampering with samples of the wastewater it was discharging into Philadelphia's sewer system," U.S. Attorney Zane David Memeger and EPA Special Agent in Charge David G. McLeod Jr. announced in a news release Friday.

Nupro, which produces oils and esters at its plant at Ontario and Bath Streets in Port Richmond, was charged in January and pleaded guilty in March to violating environmental laws setting monitoring standards. Specifically, Nupro was supposed to submit water samples to be tested for contaminants, but instead watered down samples between 2006 and 2007 to meet test standards.

U.S. District Judge Robert F. Kelly also ordered Nupro to perform $25,000 worth of community service as directed by the Philadelphia Water Department.

"Violators who submit false reports undermine the integrity of our program and inhibit our efforts to protect the public," EPA's McCleod said in the release. "Today's sentencing should serve notice that EPA will vigorously pursue charges against those who knowingly falsify official information and place the public at potential risk."

David Potter, Nupro's vice president and general manager, said the violations were "undertaken by former management of the company. We have a new management team in place. We worked long and hard with EPA and others to develop an environmental compliance and ethics plan for the company. We fully intend to comply with that plan."

Contact Meeri Kim at mkim@phillynews.com.

Index by Keyword
|
Index by Date
|
About Philly.com
|
Contact Us
|
Terms of Use & Privacy Statement
|
Copyright 2013