Ohio EPA official: Lupo dumped drilling waste at least six times

Ohio EPA official: Lupo dumped drilling waste at least six times by Vindy.com, February 11, 2013
Ben W. Lupo, the owner of D&L Energy and Hardrock Excavating, admitted he ordered employees to dump drilling waste into a city storm drain at least five times prior to being caught Jan. 31, an Ohio Environmental Protection Agency official said. Each time, starting in September 2012, Lupo had workers empty two 21,000-gallon tanks of brine material and oil-based mud, Kurt Kollar, on-scene coordinator for the OEPA’s Division of Emergency and Remedial Response, said Monday. In total, that is 252,000 gallons of waste dumped. “That’s what he’s indicating,” Kollar said about what Lupo told him on Feb. 1 or 2. … The U.S. EPA’s criminal investigation division is also on site at the D&L/Hardrock location on Salt Springs Road, investigating Hardrock and Lupo. Sammarone is calling for Lupo to be prosecuted, and said the city could file criminal charges. The clean-up, which could take another week or two, shows evidence of previous dumping, Kollar said. “As [Lupo] put it, ‘I did it at night because I was doing the right thing. I didn’t want someone thinking I was doing the wrong thing and create an uproar,’” Kollar said. But Lupo was improperly dumping brine, drilling waste and oil-based mud into the storm sewer, Kollar said. [Emphasis added]

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