By Sylvie Dale
Online Editor
Feb. 6, 2002 -- The California State attorney general has filed 32 criminal charges against the El Dorado Irrigation District and one of its former engineers after 10 million pounds of silt and mud were spilled into a stream last year.
The district had intended to lower reservoir levels before heavy rains when it accidentally released the silt into Weber Creek, the Sacramento Bee reported.
Attorney General Bill Lockyer charged on Jan. 29 that the release, which started early last year and continued for 32 days, soiled about 1.5 miles of Weber Creek and threatened trout and other species.
The district started a $2 million environmental cleanup after the discharge was discovered but that did not dissuade Lockyer from filing charges.
When it learned of the charges, the district's board issued a statement that it had undertaken "responsive and substantial mitigation efforts" after the incident and that it was "disappointing to learn that a criminal complaint has been filed," the Sacramento Bee reported.
The charges carry penalties of up to $1,000 in fines and six months in jail per violation, but jail time is considered unlikely.
For more information, visit the Sacramento Bee's web site at http://www.sacbee.com/.
