Tribar Technologies, Inc., a manufacturer in Southeast Michigan, was handed a sentence including a $200,000 criminal fine and $20,000 in restitution. The company will also serve five years of probation and must implement an environmental management system within six months. This follows the company’s guilty plea to a Clean Water Act violation, involving the discharge of untreated wastewater.
The violation occurred at Tribar's Plant 5 in Wixom, Michigan, a facility specializing in chrome plating. In the summer of 2022, while under an Industrial Pretreatment Program Permit allowing discharges into the Wixom sewer system, Tribar accumulated approximately 15,000 gallons of untreated wastewater high in hexavalent chromium. Efforts to treat the waste failed, leading to an illegal discharge of 10,000 gallons on July 29, 2022. This discharge, unreported until August 1, 2022, was released after deactivating alarm systems designed to prevent such incidents.
“Tribar’s failure to adequately train and supervise its employees jeopardized the safety and quality of local water resources,” stated Acting United States Attorney Julie A. Beck. Beck emphasized the importance of compliance with regulatory standards to protect health and the environment.
Special Agent in Charge Allison Landsman of the EPA noted, “Tribar illegally discharged industrial wastewater, posing a risk to downstream waterways." Landsman commended the collaborative efforts of EPA and federal and state partners in securing the sentence.
The investigation involved the Environmental Protection Agency’s Criminal Investigation Division, Department of Justice Environmental Crimes Section, the Michigan Department of Natural Resources, the FBI, and the U.S. Coast Guard Investigative Service.
