Agricultural Producer Agrees to CWA Violation Penalties

The U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) has signed an agreement with Muranaka Farms Inc., requiring the Moorpark, Calif., firm to pay a fine of $75,000 for discharging dredged or fill materials into Calleguas Creek without a Clean Water Act (CWA) permit.

"This agreement, together with successful restoration of the damaged site, will allow Muranaka Farms Inc. to come into compliance with the Clean Water Act,” said Alexis Strauss, director of EPA’s Water Division for the Pacific Southwest. “We at EPA will continue to focus on restoration of Calleguas Creek and protection of our coastal environment.”

Between February and September 2005, Muranaka Farms constructed a berm and agricultural field within and adjacent to Calleguas Creek at a farm located in Moorpark. The CWA prohibits the placement of dredged or fill materials into rivers, tributary streams and other waters of the U.S. without a permit from the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers.

The EPA issued an administrative order on Nov. 7, 2007, requiring Muranaka Farms to restore the area that it cleared and graded, which resulted in the unauthorized discharges into Calleguas Creek in Ventura County, Calif. To date, Muranaka Farms has complied with the order, and the group has submitted a plan to restore nearly 18 acres in Calleguas Creek, to be implemented later this year.

Source: U.S. EPA