Koster
JEFFERSON CITY, Mo. (Legal Newsline) - Missouri Attorney General Chris Koster is seeking to have three businesses found in contempt of court over failure to comply with terms of consent judgments relating to violations of the state's clean water laws.
The three businesses - Williams Landing Subdivision, owned by Ronnie and Kimberly Williams of Kennett; Wagner's One Stop, owned by James Wagner of Reeds Spring; and Uncle Sam's Ice Cream and Deli, owned by Linda Trapino of Rocky Mount - entered into the consent judgments in 2008.
Williams Landing Subdivision was ordered to construct a centralized sewer system for the subdivision and was ordered to pay $300,000 into an escrow account in the event that the system was not constructed in 16 months. Money was never deposited into the account and a sewer system compliant with Missouri's clean water laws was never installed, Koster says
Wagner's One Stop and Uncle Sam's Ice Cream & Deli were ordered by the courts to submit drinking water samples monthly to be tested for contaminants to comply with state safe drinking water laws. Civil penalties of $2,500 for Wagner's One Stop and approximately $21,000 for Uncle Sam's Ice Cream were suspended if the businesses complied with the law. Koster alleges that both companies failed to comply.
Koster has asked the court to find the three companies in contempt of court and to collect penalties and escrow money.
"These businesses all have been given the opportunity to correct violations of Missouri's drinking water and clean water laws," Koster said.
"Consumers have a right to expect that public drinking water is safe and that developers install waste systems that won't pollute our water."