KNOXVILLE, Tenn. (WATE) — A Knoxville business and the man who operated the business have pleaded guilty to violating the Clean Water Act by allowing a mixture of petroleum and water to flow into a culvert leading to the Holston River, the Department of Justice said on Thursday.
In a release, the DOJ said Christopher Domermuth, 49, and Domermuth Environmental Services LLC, based in Knoxville pleaded guilty to violating the Clean Water Act by discharging pollutants into a navigatable waterway without a permit.
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Domermuth is facing a maximum penalty of three years in prison, followed by a term of supervised release of up to one year. The involved parties have also recommended to the Court that Domermuth Environmental Services pay a $50,000 fine and be placed on probation for three years, the DOJ explained. Sentencing is scheduled for December 12.
According to the DOJ, Domermuth operated Domermuth Environmental Services (DES), which processed petroleum-contaminated soil and water in Knoxville. On July 26, 2018, DES workers pulled over a previously exhumed underground storage tank, which spilled a mixture of petroleum and water onto a concrete pad at the facility. The DOJ explained that workers then threw absorbent pads into the spilled mixture and used a portable pump to pump the mixture that contained petroleum over a retaining wall at DES…