The director of the Nevada Department of Conservation and Natural Resources says his environmental protection division is investigating a video showing employees of a Lyon County foundry dumping what they describe as sludge onto the ground.
“We’re already investigating it,” said Leo Drozdoff on Wednesday.
The department became aware of the dumping after a man claiming to be one of the company’s employees posted a video on Reddit saying their boss ordered them to dump the waste.
“We’ve been ordered to dump these barrels two or three a night and burn them out,” said the author of the video. “This is so illegal.”
Production Pattern and Foundry spokesman Craig Banko said the news of dumping and the video “completely blindsided us.”
“It was a huge surprise especially to a family run business that’s been in business over 60 years,” he said. “This is not our policy. This is not how we’ve done business for 60 years.”
The company employs more than 200 people.
The video shows several barrels of sludge being dumped on the ground and other barrels with burned remains in the bottom as well as the flattened empty barrels.
“This is what we’ve got to do or we’ll lose our jobs,” the unidentified man in the video says.
One of the other employees seen in the video, taken in March and just posted this week, said the sludge comes from their parts washing machine and, “we’ve been doing this for weeks.”
Banko said samples from the entire area have been collected and sent off for testing. Once those tests are back, he said the company and officials would have a much better idea what’s going on.
He said the company and owners Steve and Arlene Cochran are cooperating completely with the Nevada EPA, fire and other officials to investigate.
“Hopefully when this comes out, not too much damage has been done,” Banko said.
Banko said it could be as simple as residue from the powder-coating shop. The powder-coating paint process doesn’t use highly toxic chemicals.
But even if that’s what was being dumped, Banko said that’s not the proper way to dispose of liquids.
“We have procedures that are supposed to be followed,” he said.
He said liquids are left to dry out, then disposed of in a landfill.
Production Pattern and Foundry specializes in die casting aluminum products. It has been in business since 1942.