Iowa’s Attorney General has filed criminal and civil lawsuits against an eastern Iowa dairy operation for alleged pollution. A-G spokesman Bob Brammer says the suits were filed against Sunrise Dairy Farms located south of Blairstown in Benton County. He explains the criminal charges allege the company knowingly released manure into two streams on four different occasions. Each count could carry a 50-thousand dollar fine. Brammer says the civil suit alleges at least nine different water quality violations. Brammer says the civil suit is part of an ongoing investigation. He says the Environmental Protection Commission referred the case for criminal charges.The civil suit asks for damages of up to five thousand dollars a day per violation. He says the criminal charges grew out of the civil investigation.Brammer says Sunrise Dairy Farms is believed to be a company owned by around 10 investors, mostly from California.
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