DOG BOILED ALIVE

Dog boiled alive after jumping into mint farm discharge
Gitte Laasby, August 14, 2010 (Gary Post-Tribune)

"A yellow labrador was boiled alive after jumping into a ditch with scalding-hot water from an illegal water discharge…The dog's owner sustained third-degree burns on his lower leg when he tried to save the dog. The mint farm responsible faces fines, but continued its deadly discharge…with the knowledge of state environmental officials.

"An anonymous staff member at the Indiana Department of Environmental Management [IDEM] said the handling of the case is the latest example of the continuous dismantling of Indiana's environmental enforcement, which has included rewriting enforcement guidance and canceling contracts for local air pollution monitoring…[Six days after the incident] South Bend TV station WSBT measured temperatures of water downstream from the mint farm as high as 190 degrees Fahrenheit. State law says permitted discharges can be no higher than five degrees above the [currently 90 degree] air temperature…The discharge caused steam to rise from the ditch."

The inside word is that when Congress comes back in September, there will be a major effort by conservatives to strip the EPA of its ability to enforce laws against the harm done by greenhouse gas emissions. This gut wrenching story shows what can happen when enforcement powers are taken away from the EPA. (click to enlarge)

"The injuries happened when Walkerton resident Pete Daley played fetch with his yellow labrador, George, last weekend. The dog jumped into a drainage ditch near County Road 850E…and came out screaming. Daley got third-degree burns on his lower leg from trying to save the dog. He told media that when he pulled the dog's leg, it's hide came off. He watched the dog die 15 seconds later.

"An anonymous IDEM source told the Post-Tribune that the hot discharge poses a clear threat to human health and the environment and should be considered an emergency…IDEM generally sends in emergency responders when an unpermitted discharge causes harm and can suggest immediate solutions, such as diluting the discharge so it doesn't pose a threat…This case was handled by IDEM's compliance and enforcement sections, which could take months to resolve the matter, the source said…"

Yellow lab: "...when he pulled the dog's leg, it's hide came off. He watched the dog die 15 seconds later." It might be worth asking people who ask for votes this fall if they will protect the EPA and loved ones. (click to enlarge)

"The anonymous source said IDEM managers told the inspector not to stop the farm's discharge because it's the middle of harvest season, which runs through September or October…A man answering the phone at Materna Mint, who wouldn't give his name, said the company has discharged water for the past 25 years…installed a new discharge pipe this summer [but still discharges into the ditch]…"

[Anonymous IDEM source:] "At some point, they upgraded all their boilers and all their processing system for higher temperatures so they could process more, quicker. What they're negligent on, they didn't consider how that would change their discharge. Now it's much hotter because of the hotter temperatures…"