Koster
JEFFERSON CITY, Mo. (Legal Newsline) - Missouri Attorney General Chris Koster announced on Tuesday that he has filed a lawsuit against the owner of a mobile home park who allegedly violated the state's Safe Drinking Water Law.
Robert A. Montgomery, the owner of Walnut Grove Mobile Home Park in Farmington, Mo., owns and operates the water system that supplies the water to the mobile park.
The suit alleges that he violated state drinking water regulations by failing to obtain a permit to dispense drinking water at the mobile park. This caused the system to exceed the maximum contaminant levels for total coliform bacteria and radionuclides, specifically radium-226 and radium-228, Koster says.
Montgomery allegedly also failed to monitor for harmful microbiological contaminants.
"Businesses that serve the public must understand that they have not only a moral obligation, but also a legal obligation, to make sure the drinking water they provide to consumers is safe," Koster said. "There is simply no excuse to violate these laws, and this office will continue to see they are vigorously enforced."
Koster is seeking a court order for an injunction against Montgomery requiring him to comply with the Safe Drinking Water Law.
Koster is also asking for a civil penalty be levied against Montgomery of $50 per day for the first violation and $100 per day for each additional violation. Koster also wants the mobile park owner to pay the state all costs associated with the litigation.