WILLIAMSPORT – The Department of Environmental Protection has fined M.R. Dirt Inc. of Towanda, Bradford County, $6,000 for a residual waste sludge spill last September at the Avis exit of U.S. Route 220 in Pine Creek Township, Clinton County.
“M.R. Dirt was clearly negligent because a company employee drove away even though he observed that the seven tons of gas well drilling wastewater sludge had spilled from his vehicle,” said DEP Northcentral Regional Director Robert Yowell.
A nearby PennDOT work crew witnessed the incident, contacted the county emergency management agency that, in turn, notified DEP.
After investigating the spill, DEP requested M.R. Dirt to hire a cleanup contractor and the company complied.
The fine was paid to the Solid Waste Abatement Fund that is used to pay for cleanups across the state