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ILLINOIS MAN ADMITS CLEAN WATER ACT VIOLATION
Release Date: 04/02/99
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FOR RELEASE: FRIDAY, APRIL 2, 1999
ILLINOIS MAN ADMITS CLEAN WATER ACT VIOLATION
Ira Sidney Campbell of Brighton, Ill., pleaded guilty on March 25 in U.S. District Court for the Southern District of Illinois in East St. Louis, Ill. to conspiring to violate the Clean Water Act. Campbell was the superintendent of maintenance at a copper smelter operated by Chemetco Inc., near Hartford, Ill. In September 1986, Campbell used several employees from his own private business, Industrial Fabrication and Repair Inc., to install an illegal secret discharge pipe at the Chemetco smelter. For two years the pipe discharged water contaminated with various pollutants including zinc, lead and cadmium into Long Lake, a tributary of the Mississippi River. In sufficient quantities these pollutants can be harmful to fish and aquatic life and can make water undrinkable for humans, birds and wildlife. When sentenced, Campbell faces a maximum prison sentence of up to five years and/or a fine of up to $250,000. The case was investigated by EPA’s Criminal Investigation Division, the FBI, the Illinois State Police, and is being prosecuted by the U.S. Department of Justice.
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