Company charged for environmental act violations

The company that operates Ivaco Rolling Mills in L'Orignal has been fined $15,000 after being convicted of three violations under the Environmental Protection Act.

Heico 2004 Member Inc. was also required to pay a $7,800 environmental penalty after the company pled guilty to failing to sample and perform required lethality limits and chronic toxicity tests on effluent from its steel mill in Champlain Township, contrary to MISA Regulation 214/95.

The company was given 45 days to pay the fine.

Cooling water effluent from the steel mill is discharged into the Ottawa River. MISA Regulation 214/95 requires effluent from iron and steel mills to be sampled and tested for lethality limits and chronic toxicity.

An Ontario environment ministry inspection of the facility in February 2009 determined that Ivaco had failed to collect effluent samples and have the samples tested for acute lethality for the quarter beginning January 1, 2008 and again for the quarter beginning April 1, 2008.

The inspection further determined that the effluent had not been sampled and tested for chronic toxicity for the semi-annual period, beginning January 1, 2007.