— Lange Agricultural Systems, of Willmar, was fined $12,511 by the
Minnesota Pollution Control Agency
for violations of both its hazardous waste and industrial wastewater permits, according to a news release from the MPCA.
The investigation in July of 2024 found that the hazardous waste violations stemmed from the company’s improper disposal, storage and burning of used engine oil, according to the MPCA. The industrial wastewater permit violation occurred because the company poured contaminated wastewater into a storm drain that had the potential to contaminate surface water and groundwater.
In addition to paying the penalty, the company agreed to dispose of its used oil through an oil disposal company, train employees and submit a statement on how the company will dispose of used oil going forward and use a disposal company to dispose of wastewater and address wastewater issues, according to the news release.
When calculating penalties, the MPCA said it considers how seriously the violations affected or could have affected the environment, and whether they were first-time or repeat violations. The agency also attempts to recover the economic benefit the company gained by failing to comply with environmental laws in a timely manner.
