Sewer company owners face charges for illegal waste dumping
A sewer company allegedly dumped human waste illegally in southern Utah, leading to three arrests.
Garfield County dispatch first got information on July 15 about human waste being dumped off a dirt road by the Asay River, which is four miles south of the town of Hatch. The reporting party had gotten trail cam pictures of the sewer company A-Action's company truck in the area.
On July 23, after further reports, deputies in the area found the company’s owner, Sindi Brown Vetere, her husband Weston Frank Vetere and employee James Phillip Torgerson at a dump site with an excavator. Torgerson later told deputies he had dumped the waste and the owners had helped him clean it up.
According to the Garfield Sheriff’s Office, none of the parties reported the incident, and they hadn’t received permission from the state, which owns the property where the waste was dumped, to dig in or alter the land.
The Veteres are each facing third-degree felony charges for obstruction of justice, and Torgerson is facing two third-degree felny charges for obstruction of justice and unlawful discharge of pollutants knowingly.
Liberty Park pond closed due to harmful algae
Liberty Park pond in Salt Lake City has been roped off due to harmful algae. The Utah Department of Environmental Quality tested for harmful algal blooms, and the results showed cyanobacteria, which is considered a harmful algae, and a small amount of hepatotoxin.
Around 30 ducks were found dead in the Liberty Park pond earlier this month. The Utah Division of Wildlife Resources state wildlife veterinarian suspects the deaths could have been caused by botulism or another toxin. Results from additional tests are still pending.
Caution tape and posted signs are currently around the pond, warning visitors to keep pets and children away from the pond.
