COLUMBUS — A Cincinnati business owner who used his four companies to illegally discard waste at three sites, and may have polluted the Little Miami River, has been ordered to pay a civil penalty of $550,000 and, “clean up his mess,” according to the Ohio Attorney General’s Office.
>>RELATED: City of Dayton cracking down on illegal dumping
The suit maintains that Douglas Evans, through Evans Landscaping and three other businesses he owns, violated Ohio laws regulating disposal of solid waste and construction debris at properties on Mount Carmel Road, Broadwell and Round Bottom Road, the release said.
One-fourth of the penalty, $137,500, will be awarded to the Little Miami Conservancy.
“When it comes to protecting the state’s waterways, we do not just go with the flow,” said Dave Yost, Ohio Attorney General. “Illegally dumped waste doesn’t just sit there on the land - it breaks down into toxins that find their way into the water. This remedy will make sure that doesn’t happen, and the fine will hit him hard where it hurts - his wallet.”
The civil penalty stems from a lawsuit filed by the Ohio Attorney General’s Office in Hamilton County Common Pleas Court, the release said.
During multiple inspections over several years, health district officials saw that parts of demolished buildings, garbage and other solid wastes had been dumped or buried at the three sites, none of which is licensed as a facility for disposal.
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As part of the consent order worked out with the Attorney General’s Office and approved by the court, Evans agreed to clean up his properties and correct violations according to a plan authorized by Ohio EPA and the Hamilton County health district, according to the release.
• At the Mount Carmel site, he will build a cap over areas where construction and demolition debris were illegally disposed – to prevent water from reaching the debris and causing harmful chemicals to leach out.
• At the Broadwell site, under the supervision of the Ohio EPA and health district, he will dig out and remove illegally disposed waste.
• At the Round Bottom site, he will conduct groundwater monitoring to ensure that waste from his property is not affecting groundwater quality or the Little Miami River. If it is, Evans will perform the necessary remediation.
If Evans fails to comply with any requirements of the order, he will immediately be liable and have to pay additional penalties, according to the Ohio Attorney’s General Office.
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