MONROE - A Monroe company was fined $10,000 for spreading liquid waste on fields without Wisconsin Department of Natural Resources permits, the DNR said Friday.
Bytec Resource Management Inc., pleaded guilty Sept. 15 to violating a DNR rules/permit by spreading blended food processing waste on two fields. One incident took place in 2003 and the other took place in 2004.
Bytec has to pay the $10,000 in three installments of $3,333.33 each. The first installment must be paid within 60 days of the judgment. The second installment must be paid within 14 months of the judgment. The last installment, according to the agreement with the DNR, will not have to be paid if the company doesn't violate its land-spreading permit within the next two years.
Company president and owner Steve Byrne said the problem was a result of "communication issues" with the DNR. Byrne said Bytec submitted permit requests to the DNR before the liquid waste, which was from cheesemaking, was spread onto the fields. But, he said, the DNR contended that the permits weren't approved at the time the company spread the waste.
Byrne said the problems took place six and seven years ago, under the direction of a former general manager who is no longer with the company.
Assistant Wisconsin Attorney General Steve Tinker, who represented the state in the civil action, said he wasn't familiar with the background of the case, but he said it can take a while for a DNR permit request to be processed.
Rich Edwards, DNR wastewater specialist, was out of the office Friday and couldn't be reached for comment.
Bytec Resource Management Inc., pleaded guilty Sept. 15 to violating a DNR rules/permit by spreading blended food processing waste on two fields. One incident took place in 2003 and the other took place in 2004.
Bytec has to pay the $10,000 in three installments of $3,333.33 each. The first installment must be paid within 60 days of the judgment. The second installment must be paid within 14 months of the judgment. The last installment, according to the agreement with the DNR, will not have to be paid if the company doesn't violate its land-spreading permit within the next two years.
Company president and owner Steve Byrne said the problem was a result of "communication issues" with the DNR. Byrne said Bytec submitted permit requests to the DNR before the liquid waste, which was from cheesemaking, was spread onto the fields. But, he said, the DNR contended that the permits weren't approved at the time the company spread the waste.
Byrne said the problems took place six and seven years ago, under the direction of a former general manager who is no longer with the company.
Assistant Wisconsin Attorney General Steve Tinker, who represented the state in the civil action, said he wasn't familiar with the background of the case, but he said it can take a while for a DNR permit request to be processed.
Rich Edwards, DNR wastewater specialist, was out of the office Friday and couldn't be reached for comment.