Sioux Center, Iowa — A Remsen man faces up to three years in prison after he dumped waste into a tributary of the West Branch Floyd River near Sioux Center.
According to the United States’ Attorney’s office, 57-year-old Michael J. Wolf of Remsen was employed by the Sioux Preme pork processing plant and oversaw the facility’s wastewater treatment lagoons.
He has pled guilty in federal court in Sioux City to knowingly discharging a pollutant thereby resulting in a fish kill, and was convicted of one count of discharging pollutant in a water of the United States.
At the plea hearing, Wolf admitted in or about August, 2012, Sioux-Preme Packing Corporation contracted with a company to remove and replace debris from their wastewater treatment lagoons, and that beginning on October 23, 2012 and continuing to October 24, 2012, he discharged the contents of the treatment lagoons, including pollutants such as biological material and agricultural waste into a tributary of the West Branch of the Floyd River. Wolf admitted that between October 23 and 24th, 2012, he intentionally and unlawfully discharged approximately 845,000 gallons of untested wastewater and pollutant into the tributary over an 11 and a half hour period.
The DNR says the action caused a fish kill extending over eleven miles downstream.
Wolf’s sentencing date has yet to be set. Among other penalties he faces up to three years in prison and a fine of up to $50,000 per day of violation.
