Legal
California Contractor Settles District Attorney's Environmental Case
Granite Rock Co. installed active water treatment systems at the facilities in question after being contacted by officials, according to the district attorney's office.
Photo by Ponderosapine210/CC BY-SA 4.0 (cropped from the original)
A Watsonville, Calif.-based contractor and materials supplier has agreed to settle a lawsuit brought by the Santa Clara County District Attorney’s Office for allegedly allowing stormwater contaminated with heavy metals to drain into a creek.
An investigation started in 2017 showed stormwater with high alkalinity passed into storm drains from one Graniterock facility, and runoff with high levels of iron flowed into the drain at another because of lacking and ineffective treatment systems at the two San Jose facilities, according to the district attorney’s office.
Graniterock Co. agreed to pay $325,000 to settle the case, according to the district attorney’s office. That includes $250,000 in civil penalties plus $75,000 for clean-up projects along Coyote Creek and the Guadalupe River.
“Coyote Creek is a vital watershed in the Santa Clara Valley, and prosecuting stormwater runoff cases shows our commitment to protecting our natural resources,” District Attorney Jeff Rosen said in a statement.
An attorney representing Graniterock in the case did not immediately respond to inquiries.
Additionally, officials say the company installed active water treatment systems at the facilities and agreed to a five-year injunction with training, testing and oversight conditions.
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