KNOXVILLE, Tenn. (WATE) — A Knoxville business and the man who operated the business have pleaded guilty to violating the Clean Water Act by allowing a mixture of petroleum and water to flow into a culvert leading to the Holston River, the Department of Justice said on Thursday.
In a release, the DOJ said Christopher Domermuth, 49, and Domermuth Environmental Services LLC, based in Knoxville pleaded guilty to violating the Clean Water Act by discharging pollutants into a navigatable waterway without a permit.
TVA approves rate increase for fall 2024 – Here’s how much more you may pay Domermuth is facing a maximum penalty of three years in prison, followed by a term of supervised release of up to one year. The involved parties have also recommended to the Court that Domermuth Environmental Services pay a $50,000 fine and be placed on probation for three years, the DOJ explained. Sentencing is scheduled for December 12.
According to the DOJ, Domermuth operated Domermuth Environmental Services (DES), which processed petroleum-contaminated soil and water in Knoxville. On July 26, 2018, DES workers pulled over a previously exhumed underground storage tank, which spilled a mixture of petroleum and water onto a concrete pad at the facility. The DOJ explained that workers then threw absorbent pads into the spilled mixture and used a portable pump to pump the mixture that contained petroleum over a retaining wall at DES.
The oily mixture then flowed over a neighboring property and into a culvert, which led into the Holston River, the DOJ said.
Sevier County constable facing DUI after late-night arrest “Domermuth Environmental Services and Christopher Domermuth were supposed to be cleaning up contaminated water and soil to protect the environment, but instead caused the discharge of pollutants. These felony guilty pleas demonstrate our commitment to enforcing the Clean Water Act,” said Assistant Attorney General Todd Kim of the Justice Department’s Environment and Natural Resources Division.
The case was investigated by the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency Criminal Investigation Division, EPA Office of Inspector General (OIG), Tennessee Valley Authority-OIG, FBI and Tennessee Department of Environment and Conservation.
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