Latest news with #CharlesSantich
Yahoo
10-04-2025
- Business
- Yahoo
Owner of mustard company pleads guilty after shocking discovery at factory — here's what's happening
A New Hampshire mustard manufacturer and its president are facing serious consequences after admitting to illegally disposing of polluted water in a local waterway, reported WMUR 9. Old Dutch Mustard Co. and its president, Charles Santich, have pleaded guilty to federal charges for knowingly releasing contaminated water into the Souhegan River without proper permits. Court records show that back in 2015, Santich hired workers to install hidden pipes from the Greenville factory along an abandoned railroad bed leading to the river. He then directed staff to use these underground channels for waste disposal while instructing them to keep quiet about the operation. The unlawful activities continued until 2021, when state inspectors visited due to reports of excessive wastewater. They noticed a strong vinegar odor during their inspection and spotted water flowing through a man-made channel. When questioned, Santich claimed the smell came from "a failed attempt to grow mustard seed," prosecutors said. The company faces potential fines reaching tens of thousands of dollars, while Santich could spend up to three years behind bars. His sentencing is scheduled for June. When businesses dump untreated wastewater into rivers, they introduce harmful substances that can harm plants, animals, and humans who depend on those water sources. Clean waterways are foundational to healthy communities and ecosystems. The Souhegan River supports local wildlife and provides recreational opportunities for nearby residents. Contamination can damage these natural systems, harming fish populations and making the water unsafe for swimming or fishing. The Clean Water Act gives authorities tools to hold polluters accountable, as shown by the prosecution of Old Dutch Mustard and its president. You can help protect local waterways by reporting suspicious activities near rivers and streams to your state's environmental protection agency. Supporting companies with transparent waste management practices also makes a difference. Many manufacturers now use water-saving technologies and better filtration systems that reduce pollution while saving money. These innovations show that protecting our water and running a successful business can go hand-in-hand. Do you worry about the quality of the air inside your home? Yes — often Yes — but only sometimes Only when it's bad outside No — I never do Click your choice to see results and speak your mind. Communities nationwide are also monitoring water quality through volunteer programs, creating early warning systems that help catch pollution before it causes lasting damage. Join our free newsletter for good news and useful tips, and don't miss this cool list of easy ways to help yourself while helping the planet.
Yahoo
25-02-2025
- Yahoo
NY man, mustard company plead guilty to polluting Souhegan River
Feb. 24—A New York man and a mustard and vinegar manufacturing company have pleaded guilty in federal court to discharging acidic water into the Souhegan River, federal officials said Monday. Charles Santich, 59, of New York, and Old Dutch Mustard Co., Inc., doing business as Pilgrim Foods, Inc. ("Old Dutch Mustard") pleaded guilty to knowingly discharging a pollutant without a permit, Acting U.S. Attorney Jay McCormack and Principal Deputy Assistant Attorney General Adam Gufstafson of the Justice Department's Environment and Natural Resources Division said. U.S. District Court Judge Landya McCafferty scheduled sentencing for June 23. The Clean Water Act (CWA) prohibits the discharge of any pollutant into navigable waters of the United States without a National Pollutant Discharge Elimination System permit. Federal prosecutors said Old Dutch Mustard has been subject to several enforcement actions by the EPA, the New Hampshire Department of Environmental Services (NHDES) and the New Hampshire Attorney General's Office due to a long history of CWA non-compliance dating back to the 1980s. As a result of these actions, EPA and NHDES have required continuous monitoring of an unnamed brook that flows underneath and in front of the facility, eventually flowing into the Souhegan River — one of 19 rivers in the state designated as an important natural resource. Charles Santich is the president and owner of Old Dutch Mustard, a New York corporation with a manufacturing facility in Greenville. The company manufactures vinegar and mustard products, which generate acidic wastewater. In addition, stormwater flows through the property, including an outdoor area where the company stores their product in large tanks. Both the wastewater and stormwater at Old Dutch Mustard becomes acidic and is categorized as a pollutant under the CWA, and prosecutors say Old Dutch Mustard did not have the necessary permit to discharge the acidic wastewater or stormwater into the environment. "Instead, Old Dutch was required to store the polluted water in tanks and pay a trucking company to haul all the wastewater off-site to a publicly owned treatment plant," federal prosecutors said in a statement. "Beginning in the spring of 2015, Santich hired an excavation company to bury a pipe from the Old Dutch Mustard facility to discharge the acidic wastewater and stormwater in the general direction of the Souhegan River along an abandoned railroad bed. "This discharge point was downstream of, and not detectible by, the continuous environmental monitoring required by the EPA and state of New Hampshire."
