From DNR's EcoNews

IOWAN PLEADS GUILTY TO NEGLIGENT POLLUTANT DISPOSAL

DAVENPORT - A Davenport man pled guilty to a misdemeanor charge of negligent 
disposal of a pollutant after fabricating records on wastewater discharges.

The DNR discovered that Frank Peeters was not taking wastewater samples from 
the Mount Joy Mobile Home Park in Davenport during a routine inspection. 
These samples help determine if the wastewater treatment is adequate or if 
the wastewater discharge is polluting water downstream.

When the DNR inspector asked to see laboratory results, Peeters said he had 
thrown them away. Checking with the laboratory, DNR staff discovered the lab 
had not done wastewater analyses for the mobile home park in several years.

Peeters was charged by the State Attorney General's office with a serious 
misdemeanor. When he pled guilty, he agreed to pay a fine of $8,200 and not 
to seek certification as a wastewater treatment plant operator. He was 
sentenced to six months in jail, but the sentence was suspended.

The DNR routinely inspects smaller wastewater treatment facilities on a 
three- to five-year schedule, relying on monthly reports from the facilities' 
operators to catch any pollutant problems. If wastewater treatment is 
inadequate, the stream quality could be affected as could the health of 
people or animals.

MEDIA CONTACT: Jim Sievers at (319) 653-2135 or [log in to unmask]

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