Fernando Salazar, Clean Water Act Violation, California 2012

Pomona, CA – Fernando Salazar, 54, of Pomona, California, was sentenced to 24 months in federal prison and ordered to pay a $30,000 fine for knowingly discharging toxic industrial waste into the Los Angeles County sewer system. The sentencing, handed down by District Court Judge R. Gary Klausner on September 24, 2012, marks the culmination of an investigation initiated by the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency’s Criminal Investigation Division (EPA-CID).

Salazar, owner and operator of Technical Anodize, a metal plating and anodizing shop located at 1144 Price Street in Pomona, repeatedly violated the Clean Water Act by illegally dumping corrosive and poisonous materials. Despite lacking any pretreatment permit authorizing such discharges, Salazar directed his employees – including co-defendant Juan Carlos Hernandez-Oceguera – to pump wastewater directly into the facility’s toilets, allowing it to flow into the county’s sewage system.

The investigation began in February 2011 after the County Sanitation District of Los Angeles (CSDLA) flagged suspicious activity. Undercover sampling revealed consistently low pH levels and the presence of dangerous heavy metals, including zinc, nickel, chromium, and copper, in the wastewater originating from Technical Anodize. Salazar initially claimed the facility did not discharge any industrial wastewater, stating that all waste was evaporated on-site – a claim investigators quickly disproved.

A search warrant executed on January 31, 2012, uncovered the deliberate scheme. Employees confessed that Salazar not only personally discharged the toxic waste but also trained others to do so daily. The illegal discharges continued for over a year before authorities intervened. The pollutants ultimately reached a sewage treatment plant operated by the CSDLA, potentially jeopardizing the efficiency of the treatment process and posing risks to the environment.

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Key Facts

Defendant: Fernando Salazar
Crime: Clean Water Act Violation
Location: Pomona, California
Year: 2012
Statutes Violated: 33 U.S.C. 1317(d) – Operation in violation of standards unlawful; and 33 U.S.C. 1311(a) – Prohibition of discharge of pollutants
Penalty: 24 months incarceration, 12 months probation, $30,000 federal fine
Co-defendant: Juan Carlos Hernandez-Oceguera sentenced to 1 month incarceration and 12 months probation.

Hernandez-Oceguera, a former employee of Technical Anodize, pled guilty to the same charges and received a sentence of one month in jail followed by seven months of home confinement. The EPA-CID investigation received crucial support from the CSDLA and the Los Angeles Fire Department’s Health and Hazardous Materials Division. This case underscores the EPA’s commitment to vigorously pursuing criminal enforcement actions against those who knowingly endanger public health and the environment through illegal pollution practices.

GrimyTimes will continue to follow this case and report on any further developments.

Source: EPA ECHO Enforcement Case Database

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