Construction company leaked pollutants into DC waterways, OAG says

WASHINGTON — One of the DMV’s largest road paving and infrastructure construction companies is being sued for illegally polluting D.C.’s stormwater system, Attorney General Brian Schwalb announced Thursday.

The District is suing Fort Myer Construction Company for violating the Water Pollution Control Act. According to a press release, the company has been allowing petroleum-contaminated runoff to discharge into D.C.’s stormwater sewer from its storage and maintenance yard in Ward 5 since at least 2015.

The stormwater sewer empties into waterways around the District, including the Springhouse Run stream through National Arboretum into the Anacostia River.

Fort Myer did not have a permit to discharge under the federal Environmental Protection Agency’s Multi-Sector General Permit program. According to a press release, D.C.’s Department of Energy and the Environment inspected the Fort Myer facility multiple times over the following eight years, repeatedly giving the company notices of infractions, warnings and directive orders to apply for the correct permits.

But the company did not apply for those permits, the Office of the Attorney General said, and continued to leak pollutants into D.C.’s waterways.

“For years, Fort Myer Construction threatened District residents’ health and safety by polluting our waterways in blatant violation of environmental laws,” Schwalb said in a press release. “The company ignored repeated orders from D.C. agencies to clean up its facility and obtain proper permits, choosing instead to put its profits over the protection of DC’s critical natural resources. My office will continue to ensure that all businesses play by the rules, and that all Washingtonians have access to clean water.”

The District is seeking financial penalties for the company's repeated violations of the Water Pollution Control Act.