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.Alegre, indictedon Pollution charges. By Deborah Richards-McLeod Alegre Trucking,'said he was being"rail- dumping pollutants.and other waste di Alegre said he rents.the land out to to- News-Sentinel staff writer roaded and blackmailed"and said a look rectly into river, mato growers. at the 275-acre property would prove to An affidavit filed in support of a According to the affidavit, Alegre's A federal grand jury has handed down anybody that he's only-improved it and search`warrant served earlier this week trucking company employees admitted a three-count indictment against Lodi not dumped on it. . - said Alegre's environmental consultant dumping waste onto the property regu trucking company owner Frank Alegre I "I think Pm not guilty and I think I've was told in 1989 not to put foreign mate-_ larly between 1989 and 1992. The em- and Frank C.Alegre Trucking, charging done nothing but improve my property," , rial on Alegre's Kasson.Road property.in ployees also said the"cost free"use of the long-term violations of the Clean Water Alegresaid. Vernalis:, In 1990,it said,Alegre was in- wetlands on the property as a landfill for and Refuse Acts. I I The indictments charge Alegre formed by San Joaquin County Public - the waste disposal was a factor used in The U.S.Attorney's Office said Friday dumped pollutants,including truckloads Health Services not to put garbage on calculating bids. The employees said it Alegre was indicted for illegally dumping of. garbage, diesel-contaminated dirt, the property.In 1992,he was told by the was used as a way for Alegre to undercut pollutants from land he owns in Vernalis sand, broken.tile, concrete and other in- San Joaquin County Community Devel- competitors on waste hauling contracts. into the San Joaquin River,and into pro- dustrial wastes, onto the wetlands adja- opment Department that he was illegally Alegre was allegedly told he could ap- wetlands from 1990-1993. cent to the property along the .San using the property for the disposal of ply for a permit to operate a landfill,but Wmegre, 59, rancher and owner of Joaquin River. He is also charged with . solid wastes. Turn to ALEGRE,Page 8 Continued from Page 1 but we did install them at their re- - never obtained such.a permit. quest," he said Friday. "We would Two of the violations of the fed- not have handled it that way. We eral Clean Water Act carry a maxi- did the initial test at their direc- mum penalty of three years impns- tion,but when they wanted further onment and a fine of $56,000 for secretive testing,we said no." each day of the violation. The third The test results - obtained over count — which alleges a violation a 10-day period — showed the p of the Refuse Act — carries a maxi- reading of the discharges at 2.5. mum penalty of-one year in prison The city prohibits any discharge and$100,000 fine. with a pH lower than 64,The fed- Additionall Assistant..U.S.At eral standard prohibits" scharges —•,_ Ya , torney.Donald Searles said a mat-" of any material ha ifigk df less ter of Alegre using hydrofluoric than 5. acid, phosphoric acid, sulfuric acid, The low pH level — which indi- and other hazardous materials as cates high acidity — in the sewage F"aluminum brightener"to clean system can damage the concrete e trucks at the trucking facility pipes. on North Cluff Avenue was referred Once Alegre became aware the to the City of Lodi for further en- pH discharges were so low, he en- forcement action. stalled a pH meter of his own and A search warrant was executed machinery that neutralizes the dis- by the FBI and the Army Criminal charge,Ronsko said. Investigation Division during the While Searles said the Public summer on the Cluff Avenue prop- Works Department will be taking { erty. Lodi's Public Works Depart- ftirther enforcement action,Ronsko ment was ordered to secretly install said he thought the city's part in pH meters in Alegre's sanitary the matter had been settled. He sewer lines because the acid wash said when the city gets final notifi- was draining,into the city's sewer cation that the federal govern- lines. ment's investigation is done, a city Public Works Director Jack Ron- water/wastewater inspector will be sko said the city was not comfort- assigned to check the meter on a able with the request,but installed regular basis. He. said other large the meters because it was ordered firms — including General Mills — to by the federal agency. have meters that are regularly in- /r ` "It's not our normal procedure, spected by the city. � ��1�