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EPA Orders Newport, NH Company to Comply With Clean Water Laws

Release Date: 12/04/2000
Contact Information: Peyton Fleming, EPA Press Office (617-918-1008)

BOSTON - The U.S. Environmental Protection Agency today announced that it has ordered a Newport, N.H. casting and firearms manufacturer to come into compliance with clean water laws.

The administrative order covers two violations by Sturm, Ruger & Company Inc. According to the order, the company failed to accurately monitor the acidity of wastewater it was discharging into the municipal sewer and also failed to implement its current stormwater management plan to reduce runoff pollution from its facility.

Under the order, Sturm Ruger is required to create an acceptable plan to monitor the acidity of its wastewater discharges and to fully implement its existing stormwater plan.

Monitoring the acidity of wastewater is required because acidic discharges to the sewer could adversely affect proper functioning of Newport's sewage treatment plant. Accurate monitoring ensures that discharges are within acceptable limits.

Rainwater can carry significant amounts of pollutants off industrial facilities and into nearby rivers and lakes, thus compromising water quality. Sampling at the Sturm Ruger facility indicated high levels of zinc and iron in stormwater run-off at the plant, which eventually flows into the Sugar River.

"To keep our rivers clean for everyone who uses them, companies need to follow through on their commitments to control run-off pollution and take care of their wastewater," said Mindy S. Lubber, regional administrator of EPA's New England Office. "This order ensures that Sturm Ruger will protect the Sugar River and Newport's treatment facility."

The complaint stems from EPA inspections at the facility in November 1999 and March of this year.