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FISCAL YEAR: 2012
1. PRINCIPAL DEFENDANT: Nature's Broom of America, Inc.
N.D. Mississippi 4:12CR43-JMV
N.D. Mississippi 4:12CR43-JMV
Nature's Broom America (NBA) is an industrial manufacturing facility located in Hollandale, Mississippi, which manufactures an absorbent material derived from wood flour, rice hulls, and mineral oil. During the manufacturing process, NBA screens out wood flour and rice hulls that are not suitable for use in their final product. NBA stockpiled the screened materials on property adjacent to the Yazoo National Wildlife Refuge (YNWR) and later began pushing the materials onto YNWR property and into Steele Bayou, a water of the United States. YNWR is a 12,941 acre wildlife refuge located in the Mississippi River Delta Region of Western Mississippi and is an important wintering habitat for migratory birds, especially ducks and geese. The Steele Bayou is an EPA-listed impaired waterway with Total Maximum Daily Loads for Nitrogen, Phosphorus, Siltation, DDT, and Toxaphene.
April 27, 2012
Nature's Broom was charged with one count of negligently discharging a pollutant into Steele Bayou, a water of the United States, without a permit, a violation of the CWA.
CITATION: 33 U.S.C. 1311
May 14, 2012
Nature's Broom pled guilty to the charge and was sentenced to 12 months probation, ordered to pay a $12,000 federal fine, and a $125 special assessment. During Nature's Brooms probation they must comply with an Expedited Removal Plan and a Best Management Practices Plan.
STATUTE:
- Clean Water Act (CWA)