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National Water Main Cleaning Company (NWMCC), in Newark, New Jersey, was sentenced in federal court for knowingly releasing uncured geopolymer mortar into Cuff Brook while refurbishing a culvert pipe in Cheshire, the US Attorney for Connecticut said.
The project, which took place in July 2019, was supposed to follow strict environmental controls to prevent contamination — but investigators found that the company ignored these requirements, allowing pollution to seep into the brook, per the prosecutor.
U.S. District Judge Kari A. Dooley ordered NWMCC to three years of federal probation with environmental conditions, a $500,000 federal fine, and an additional $500,000 payment to the Connecticut Department of Energy and Environmental Protection to fund aquatic ecosystem projects in the region.
The environmental damage was discovered after a local resident noticed dead fish, discolored water, and a strong chemical odor in the brook. A CT DEEP investigation determined that NWMCC was responsible for the contamination, which experts estimate will take three to five years to repair, the prosecutor continued.
Court documents revealed that NWMCC was aware of its failing environmental controls but did nothing to correct them. Instead, the company attempted to blame an individual employee who, according to investigators, was poorly trained, pressured to complete the job under an unrealistic timeline, and never informed of the environmental risks.
Adding to its history of environmental violations, NWMCC had previously agreed to a Code of Conduct as part of a 2014 settlement with the Massachusetts Attorney General’s Office over similar pollution allegations.
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