HomeMy WebLinkAboutWater Polluted with Illegal Spray-1992 Worker : I lied about using
By Mary Beth Regan The Lake Doctors,with headquarters in misused chemicals and defrauded cus-
orrxrsexnara.ararr Winter Springs, has six offices statewide tomers.
and controls weeds in hundreds of lakes, The sworn statement, unsealed
canals and other waterways for homeown- Wednesday,outlines a scheme to deliber-
James Meyer, who worked for a corn- ers'associations,golf courses and cities. ately spray herbicides illegally on water-
pany that keeps lakes and rivers weed- Environmental officials could not say ways, a practice company - • • oyees
free,says he was trained to illegally spray Wednesday whether the chemical had called"A-bombing." Becaus: diuro ept
a chemical toxic to fish. harmed fish. They also could not say lakes and rivers weed-free H • ap-
When state officials asked Meyer about whether people patinq fish fmm prayed proved herbicides, using It saved the
the practice,he says he did what the boss waterways could be affected or whether company money because fewer sprayings
told him to do:He lied. swimming in those areas could harm hu- were needed,according to the statement.
According to court documents unsealed 'mans. The affidavit outlines the following ac-
in Orlando Wednesday, Meyer is one of In February,the federal Environmental tivity:
several former employees who cooperated Protection Agency and state law enforce- • Company president Jim Williams set
with federal environmental officials in a ment officers raided the company's of- up another company called Grove and
criminal investigation Of The Lake Doc- flees,seizing nearly all its records. Land Management, which bought two
tors Inc.The probe focuses on the illegal According to an affidavit by Lori Hobo- herbicides legal for use on land but not in
use of a chemical called diuron, which is way, an EPA criminal investigator, the water. The herbicides contain a chemical
toxic to fish. agency believes that The Lake Doctors called diuron,which is toxic to fish.
an illegal spray
• Employees kept these herbicides at Aouathon If State officials tested either
the company's Winter Springs headquar- pie waters or the herbicide four times
ters, at 150 State Road 419. They were and found illegal diuron.
trucked monthly to regional offices, • Company officials mailed proposals
where they were poured into 5-gallon jugs to clients saying it used "carefully
marked"A" screened, EPA-approved materials which
• Chemical applicators were instruct- are safe for fish,harmless to wildlife and
ed to use the herbicides illegally on lakes effective on weed and algae species."
and other waterways to kill weeds, On Misusing a pesticide carries a penalty
field-data sheets, they recorded using of up to$1,000 in fines for each violation,
only herbicides called"A" or up to 30 days in prison. Defrauding
• Employees were encouraged to use people through the mail carries penalties
this highly toxic chemical on water as a of up to $250,000 for each violation and
way to stay within budgets set for each five years in prison. Investigators would
contract to manage weeds. not comment.
• When environmental officials ques- James M. Russ, attorney for the The
tinned employees about the practice,they Lake Doctors, declined to comment on
were told to lie, saying they were using behalf of his client.Williams could not be
cypher.sulfa a or another product called reached for comment.
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