August 1, 2007

On July 16, 2007, Federal Industrial Services, Inc. of Warren pled guilty before the Honorable Judge Charlotte L. Wirth in the 17th District Court, Wayne County, to the discharge of liquid industrial waste into a drain or sewer in violation of Michigan's environmental protection laws. The guilty plea is the result of an agreement negotiated by Wayne County Assistant Prosecutor Charles Davis.

The court ordered Federal Industrial to pay a $995 fine, $255 in court costs, $75 in probation costs, $75 to the state's Crime Victim Fund, and $175 to the Wayne County Prosecutor's Environmental Trust Fund. In addition, Federal Industrial was placed on six month's nonreporting probation after which the charge will be dismissed upon payment of all fines and costs and no further violation of environmental laws. Federal Industrial has also paid the Redford Township Fire Department $2,896 for costs associated with emergency response to the violation.

This case is the result of a complaint reported to the Department of Environmental Quality's Pollution Emergency Alert System (PEAS) Hotline and investigated by the DEQ's Office of Criminal Investigations. The witness reported that they observed a worker for Federal Industrial dumping the contents of a large container into a parking lot drain. The Redford Township Fire Department and the Wayne County Regional HAZMAT Team responded to the location and detected a strong solvent odor coming from the drain. Upon investigation, a Federal Industrial employee admitted to dumping the liquid industrial waste into the parking lot drain.

"I appreciate the alert actions of the citizen who reported this violation," said DEQ Director Steven E. Chester. "These types of incidents are unfortunate but demonstrate that we must all play a role in protecting our environment."

Persons witnessing or involved in an environmental emergency situation are encouraged to immediately report these incidents to the DEQ's PEAS 24-Hour Hotline at 1 800 292 4706 (within Michigan) or 1 517 373 7660 (outside of Michigan).

Editor's note: DEQ news releases are available on the department's Internet home page at www.michigan.gov/deq.

 "Protecting Michigan's Environment, Ensuring Michigan's Future"

Revised August 1, 2007 by Pat Watson