On 24 September 2014, CSPA settled a Clean Water Act lawsuit against Syar Concrete, LLC and Syar Industries, Inc. for violations of the Clean Water Act and California’s General Industrial Stormwater Permit. Syar operates a readymix concrete batch plant facility in Lincoln, California. The lawsuit alleged that the facility discharged polluted stormwater into Markham Ravine, which flows to the Sacramento River.
The settlement agreement obligates Syar to comply fully with the Clean Water Act, develop and implement a suite of Best Management Practices and structural improvements, conduct more frequent and comprehensive monitoring and prepare an adequate Stormwater Pollution Prevention Plan. The agreement incorporates provisions that allow CSPA to return to court for enforcement if pollutant benchmarks continue to be exceeded.
As mitigation for past violations, Syar agreed to send $30,000 to the Rose Foundation for Communities and the Environment to fund environmental projects to improve water quality in local watersheds. They also agreed to reimburse CSPA’s costs of bringing suit. Lawyers for Clean Water represented CSPA in this matter.