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Iowa company pleads guilty to release of gasoline-contaminated water

jcarlosn
/
Flickr
The contamination of a southwest Missouri sewer system led to the evaucation of an elementary school in Duenweg, Mo.

An Iowa company has pleaded guilty to federal charges stemming from the release of thousands of gallons of gasoline-contaminated water into a sewer system in southwest Missouri.

The Joplin Globe reports that Des Moines-based Seneca Companies pleaded guilty Friday in federal court in Springfield to the negligent introduction of a pollutant or hazardous substance into a publicly-owned sewer system without any permit.

The plea agreement requires the company to pay a fine between $75,000 and $200,000 and publicly apologize.

In December 2010, Seneca employees repairing a gasoline line at a convenience store in Duenweg dumped gasoline-contaminated water out of a containment area into the sewer system. An 7,500 to 10,000 gallons were released.

Gas vapors in the sewer under the Duenweg elementary school forced the evacuation of 150 students.

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