  
2/18/2026
WT Staff
 Got water questions? Have knowledge of a CWA crime? Give us a call at 877-52-WATER (877-529-2837), or email us at info@wtoh.us
Wednesday, February 18, 2026 315 pm EST
CWA CrimeBox
Environmental Crimes Historic Conviction: Fiscal Year 2015; Case ID# CR_2651 (Ohio)
Monday to Friday compliance does not excuse CWA violations on the weekends. A Cleveland metal plater deliberately bypassed wastewater pre-treatment for months, contaminating drinking water source for millions
One of 867 Criminal Prosecutions under the Clean Water Act (from 1989-2024)
Lake Erie is the main source of drinking water for over 12 million people in the USA and Canada. The shallowest of the transboundary Great Lakes is home to more than one hundred species of fish and thousands of species of migratory birds and butterflies. The lake generates over 12 billion annually from recreational visitors, the vital eco-system supporting some of the most fertile agricultural land on the continent.
The Defendant in this case is a metal plating company operating in Cleveland, on the south shore of Lake Erie. The company was charged and plead guilty to two felony violations of the Clean Water Act, sentenced in US Federal District Court in Ohio in 2015.
In order to maintain Lake Erie as a safe drinking water supply, a recreational water body supporting swimmers and aquatic life, industrial discharge limits are set to maintain the total toxin load within the range the lake can handle, and continue to meet the intended uses.
Chromium and zinc are mineral elements, required in trace amounts for optimal health. When these elements enter the waterways in excess, they become hazardous for humans and wildlife alike. One source of such contaminants is industrial discharges. According to an article in the National Library of Medicine, "Zinc chromates are used as pigments in paints, varnishes and oil colors. Many of them are used as a corrosion-resisting primer coatings and in metal conditioners."
In the course of normal business, the Defendant generates a wastewater stream loaded with heavy metals chromium and zinc, at levels too high to be released. High levels of contaminants in the wastewater are not only harmful to human health and the critical eco-system of Lake Erie, these contaminants also cause damage to the equipment at the local wastewater treatment works. The responsibility falls to the discharge permit holder, to ensure any effluent released from the facility is within safe limits set out in the discharge permit.
At the Defendant's Cleveland location, chromium and zinc used in the metal finishing process were routinely removed from the wastewater stream by way of special equipment on site. When continuous water monitoring detected elevated levels of zinc and chrome at the publicly owned treatment works in early 2012, investigators tracked the offending materials back to the Defendant's sewer pipe. Upon questioning the employees, it was found the individual responsible for operating the wastewater pre-treatment equipment had been running the system from Monday to Friday, as expected. For a period of three and a half months in early 2012, untreated process water was released on the weekends, the employee had been bypassing the pre-treatment system and allowing contaminants to flow directly to the sanitary sewer system, in violation of the discharge permit.
"We here in Northeast Ohio know the importance of clean water, both for our economy and our quality of life. We will aggressively investigate and prosecute cases in which people pollute Ohio's streams, rivers and lakes, " said Steven M. Dettelbach, United States Attorney for the Northern District of Ohio.
The Defendant plead guilty to both charges, felony violations of the CWA. Sentencing included a federal fine, and a restitution payment to the Cleveland Foundation. The employee involved in this case was tried separately, also pleading guilty to making illegal discharges.
Federal Fines: $50,000; Probation: 24 months
This case was prosecuted by Special Assistant United States Attorney Brad J. Beeson, investigated by members of the Northeast Ohio Environmental Crimes Task Force, including the US EPA Criminal Investigation Division, the Ohio Bureau of Criminal Identification and Investigation, and the Ohio Environmental Protection Agency.
See last week's CWA CrimeBox here, Oilfield worker convicted for deliberate discharge of oily brine water in Lake Erie drainage basin
CWA CrimeBox briefs are compiled from EPA Criminal Enforcement records.
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