A man was sentenced Tuesday for illegally dumping wastewater collected by his business into the local wastewater management system.
This action is a violation of the Clean Water Act.
The general manager of Environmental Resources Inc—doing business as Easy Rooter Plumbing—Matthew Thurman, has received a sentence of two years in prison in addition to a $680,000 fine, followed by one year of probation.
The business itself was additionally sentenced to three years of probation and a $680,000 fine.
Officials found that Thurman set up illegal dumping of grease waste and waste water collected from restaurants and other food service businesses directly into the wastewater treatment systems of both Reno and Sparks.
Local regulators handed out warnings regarding the dumping, but when it was continued an investigation was started by the Environmental Protection Agency (EPA).
During this investigation, Thurman was found to have lied to federal agents, and was blaming the illegal dumping on his competitors.
The EPA's Criminal Investigation Division led the investigation, with assistance from the City of Reno's Utility Services Department - Environmental Control and the City of Sparks' Environmental Control Section.
