A Kennewick, Wash., restroom contractor faces $50,000 in fines in an illegal dumping sting operation, but the cost of this story is far higher for an industry of responsible and hardworking operators.
According to the Tri-City Herald, John Liniger, owner of Sunshine Portable Toilets, faces fines and possible federal criminal charges after being caught in October 2011 dumping 4,000 gallons of portable restroom waste into a public sewer drain in an unlighted, undeveloped area.
Liniger has been cited for allegedly discharging solid and liquid waste to the city sewer system without a permit, interfering with the city’s treatment works and posing a public health risk by allowing raw sewage to run into the streets. The city estimated it cost $7,800 to clean up the sewage, clear blocked lines and sanitize gutters and catch basins in response to several incidents.
Officials said the sewer lines were largely unused because of a lack of development. They were tipped off to a portable sanitation link because they noted blue deodorant fluid in the waste stream. State environmental officials set up a motion sensor camera at the location and said the camera captured a dumping run. Local authorities then set up nighttime surveillance and reported they caught Liniger in the act a week later.
You can read more about the case here: http://www.tri-cityherald.com/2012/02/16/1828327/kennewick-port-a-potty-businessman.html
Stories like this one make me cringe. The alleged illegal actions of one can damage reputations of many, many responsible PROs. So many contractors are working diligently to raise the professional image of this industry. How hard will they have to work in Washington State to make up for this incident?
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