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Page A-4 The Manteca Bulletin-Wednesday, December 2, 1992 LOCAL DA slaps Santa Fe with $550,000 bill LISA MILLEGAN pay $300,000 in fines and make a violations that began more than a heavily-coated creosote timbers, San Joaquin NewsService one-time$250,000 grant to the San year ago. numerous paint waste and epoxy Joaquin County environmental San Joaquin County District cans and thousands of additional Santa Fe Railway has agreed to health division for environmental Attorney's officials said in a press pieces of various other materials, - -_------ __.—------ _ - release Tuesday that the settlement directly into the water. Debris was "represents the stiffest criminal fines also thrown onto wetlands north of ever levied for an environmental Woodward Island between Middle violation in the history of San Joa- River and Old River. quin County." The California Department of Previously, the highest fine Fish and Game first learned of the imposed on a business for such vio- environmental violations in late lations was $25,000, said Deputy February through a letter from District Attorney David Irey. United Transportation Union. In District Attorney John Phillips March,Fish and Game ordered San- said he hopes the settlement will ta Fe to properly dispose of all have a positive effect on other coiny- materials on the waterway within 30 HI?> .»tk> qA{#i?il} 3nihhui?3Si+ lNfli+331itl}t!{ iHlt13#Biwtyltis?it;I?Mali' +i131�?;3ya�nyH'43t1?3�:.:'. . !t ;! 1 -swim-iia �' Vtl , t�¢as�l3 i fs os3u,wept.alb 1,1, tGiSti iai•H ._._.,•� games' observance of environmen- days. However, the company met tal regulations. with the department to try, to post- "Hopefully, they'll` all comply pone removal of the malrials. and we won't have to get involved' The District Attorney's Office with this type of situation,"Phillips then informed the railway that the said. water pollution must stop immedi- Gary Crosby,an Illinois attorney ately. In August,the company hired for Santa Fe was unavailable for a contractor to remove the wastes, comment Tuesday. which district attorney's officials Ron Valinoti, director of the say had grown to more than 1,600 1 county environmental health divi- feet. sion,declined to comment Tuesday But the contractor used inadequ- afternoon. He said he had not yet ate methods to remove the waste received a written report of the materials, which further damaged settlement. the wetlands,district attorney's offr- The rail company entered pleas of cials said.In October,district attor- no contest in Stockton Municipal ney's and other government officials Court Tuesday to five misdemeanor visited the site and the contractor's counts stemming from a continuing work was halted.District Attorney's water pollution problem associated officials then informed the railway with the rebuilding of a railway company that a criminal complaint trestle on the western edge of the would be filed. county. Officials say the company has District attorney's officials said been cooperative since that date. the problem began during recon- Today all waste materials have been struction of the bridge when the removed,district attorney's officials company tossed thousands of tons of said.