A historic East Bay company that generated the foul stench of sewage odor that polluted a town’s air has settled a lawsuit with Contra Costa County prosecutors for approximately $500,000, authorities said Tuesday.
C&H Sugar, whose plant has been a staple in the unincorporated city of Crockett since 1906, committed the odor violations in 2022 at a wastewater treatment plant it jointly owns at Dowrelio Drive, according to a statement from the Contra Costa County District Attorney’s Office. They added that the company agreed to pay $400,000 in civil penalties and $100,000 in costs.
Related Articles
Trump says he’s bringing $15 billion lawsuit against New York Times
Dog mauling at California animal shelter sparks negligence suit from volunteer
Dodgers star Ohtani’s lawyers claim he was victim of likeness misuse in real estate deal, move to dismiss lawsuit
Napa County DA announces environmental lawsuit settlement with landfill
California temporarily blocks Trump policy barring some immigrants from food banks, health care, Head Start and more
“C&H Sugar was cooperative throughout the process and agreed to specific enhanced compliance measures,” District Attorney Diana Becton said in a statement.
The company will purchase and install a backup generato, replace existing diffuser heads in all three reactors, and upgrade the the “blowers” including the replacement or refurbishment of the motors. Authorities said C&H also agreed to a complete comprehensive internal audit of operations and to establish a 24-hour toll-free community hotline.
The violations happened between Sept. 8 and Oct. 14, 2022. According to authorities, operational disruptions at the wastewater plant generated excessive sewage odors that affected residents. Unusually high temperatures exacerbated the problem.
The then-Bay Area Air Quality Management District investigated and referred the case to Becton.
“Working with BAAQMD during this process produced a compliance framework to help prevent future public nuisances,” she said.
