Omega Protein Fined $1.2M for Vermilion River Pollution

SHREVEPORT, La. – A Louisiana company has been ordered to pay $1.2 million for its role in discharging pollutants into the Vermilion River.

Omega Protein Inc., a dietary supplement company, pleaded guilty to two counts of unlawful discharge of a pollutant into a water of the United States. The company was sentenced to pay a $1 million fine to the United States and a $200,000 community service fee to the Louisiana State Police Emergency Service Unit.

According to evidence presented at the hearing, a manager at the Abbeville Omega plant directed employees to drain polluted water into a canal that emptied into the Vermilion River on two separate occasions – December 8, 2014, and February 1, 2016.

The company was placed on probation for three years. Omega Protein Inc. is a corporation located in Louisiana and incorporated under the laws of Virginia.

The criminal investigation divisions of the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency and Louisiana State Police conducted the investigation. Assistant U.S. Attorney Robert C. Abendroth prosecuted the case.

Omega Protein Inc. was represented by John D. Held at the hearing. U.S. District Judge Donald E. Walter presided over the case.

The fine and community service fee are the result of a guilty plea entered by the company on January 18, 2017. The investigation into the company’s activities began in 2016.

Omega Protein Inc.’s actions have consequences for the environment and the community. The company’s pollution of the Vermilion River could have long-lasting effects on the ecosystem and the people who rely on it.