Iowa Fertilizer and construction company will pay $80,689 EPA fine

The U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) reached a settlement with the Iowa Fertilizer Company and its construction contractor Orascom E&C USA this week for Clean Water Act violations that allegedly occurred during building of a plant in Wever, Iowa.

During a June 2014 EPA Region 7 inspection of the construction site, which occupies 323 acres of the 369-acre property, the agency allegedly discovered several violations related to stormwater. The companies allegedly failed to implement adequate stormwater control measures, did not properly maintain the site's Stormwater Pollution Prevention Plan (SWPPP) and did not perform stormwater self-inspections to acceptable standards, all of which resulted in sediment-laden stormwater entering a Mississippi River tributary.

The companies are jointly responsible for the citations under their National Pollutant Discharge Elimination System permit, which was issued by the Iowa Department of Natural Resources. Violations of the Clean Water Act during construction increase the chances of erosion and stormwater pollution.

In addition to bringing the site and construction operations into compliance, the companies will pay a civil penalty of $80,689. The proposed settlement is open for public comment for a 40-day period.