The Iowa Attorney General is suing a truck stop, motel and restaurant off Interstate 35 near Williams for alleged water pollution violations. The Attorney General’s suit alleges that Boondocks U.S.A. repeatedly and illegally discharged wastewater into a drainage ditch that flows to the Skunk River, according to inspections since at least 2005, and despite numerous notices of violation by the Iowa Department Natural Resources.
A D.N.R. inspection on February 18th of this year, for example, noted that the lagoon was continuously discharging wastewater due to a deteriorated and malfunctioning valve. The lagoon berm was damaged by an overgrowth of trees, woody vegetation and cattails.
The lawsuit also alleged that Boondocks U.S.A. committed numerous violations related to its public drinking water supply, including the failure to do required routine sampling for contaminants and failure to do required follow up testing after routine samples tested positive for coliform bacteria on several occasions.
Attorney General Tom Miller said the Iowa D.N.R. has worked for years to get the Boondocks U.S.A. companies to comply with environmental requirements for their wastewater and drinking water supply systems. Miller said the lawsuit asks the district court to order compliance, prohibit further violations and to assess civil penalties. There has been no comment from officials of Boondocks, U.S.A and Welch Oil on the suit filed in Hamilton County District Court.