Hart County oil company fined $100K for violating Safe Drinking Water Act

BOWLING GREEN, Ky. – A Hart County company is facing a large fine after officials say it improperly disposed of brine water into sinkholes.

Logsdon Valley Oil, Inc., also known as Hart Petroleum, was sentenced to three years of probation and fined $100,000 for violating the Safe Drinking Water Act, officials say.

According to a release by the United States Attorney’s Office, Western District of Kentucky, the company “discharged produced fluid also known as brine water from oil and gas production into sinkholes without a permit in violation of the Safe Drinking Water Act.”

The release states the company previously was convicted of violating the Safe Drinking Water Act in 2013.

“The enforcement of the Safe Drinking Water Act is vital to keeping Kentucky’s groundwater safe,” U.S. Attorney Bennett said. “We will continue to pursue, in partnership with the EPA, those who violate federal environmental laws in order to keep our citizens safe and to protect Kentucky’s natural resources.”

“Illegally injecting brine water into an unpermitted well violates the Safe Drinking Water Act and threatens the quality of groundwater,” said acting special agent in charge Leslie Carroll. “Our nation’s environmental laws are designed to protect public health and safety, and the sentencing of Logsdon Valley Oil demonstrates that the EPA and its law enforcement partners will take action to protect communities and their local water supplies.”

This case was investigated by the Environment Protection Agency Criminal Investigation Division.