Eyeglass Lens Maker Fined $750K for Illegal Sewer Discharges
PORTLAND, Ore. (AP) — A federal judge has fined an eyeglass lens manufacturer $750,000 for repeatedly discharging hazardous waste into Clackamas County’s sewer system in violation of the federal Clean Water Act.
The Oregonian/OregonLive reports U.S. District Judge Michael H. Simon fined Carl Zeiss Vision Monday.
Prosecutors say the company operated for three years without a required industrial wastewater discharge permit and allowed untreated corrosive liquid waste that included cadmium and lead to seep into a public sanitary sewer connection that fed into the county’s water service sewer system.
Carl Zeiss Vision pleaded guilty in January to misdemeanor violating federal regulations requiring treatment of pollutants. The charge covered violations that occurred over 30 days from June to July 2015.
Prosecutors sought the $750,000 fine, while lawyers representing Carl Zeiss Vision argued for a $150,000 penalty.
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