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Happy birthday Mason Benjamin Mager!

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<p>HARRISBURG &#8212; Yuengling has agreed to pay $7 million to upgrade environmental measures after the brewing company &#8212; America&#8217;s oldest &#8212; allegedly discharged pollutants into a wastewater treatment plant, the U.S. Justice Department announced Thursday.</p><p>D.G. Yuengling &amp; Sons, established in Pottsville in 1829, has agreed to undertake numerous upgrades to its policies to settle more than 140 violations of the Clean Water Act, which requires companies to follow limits on industrial waste discharged to public treatment facilities, according to a consent decree filed Thursday in federal court.</p><p>The violations allegedly occurred from 2008 to 2015 when the brewery emptied pollutants into the Greater Pottsville Area Sewer Authority municipal wastewater treatment plant, according to a complaint filed Thursday in conjunction with the settlement.</p><p>Yuengling will pay a $2.8 million penalty and must hire a third-party consultant to develop an environmental management system as well as a third-party auditor to ensure the system is implemented properly at its two brewery locations in Pottsville, the settlement says. Yuengling has a third brewing facility in Tampa, Florida, according to its website.</p><p>Officials from the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency said the brewing company&#8217;s violations potentially jeopardized the drinking water of millions of people.</p><p>&#8220;Yuengling is responsible for serious violations of its Clean Water Act pretreatment discharge limits, posing a potential risk to the Schuylkill River which provides drinking water to 1.5 million people,&#8221; EPA Regional Administrator Shawn M. Garvin said in a news release. &#8220;This history of violations and failure to fully respond to orders from the Greater Pottsville Area Sewer Authority and EPA to correct the problems resulted in this enforcement action.&#8221;</p><p>Yuengling officials said a permit allowed them send the wastewater that remains after the brewing process on to the sewer authority, but argued the wastewater was not toxic or hazardous and contained mostly sugar and yeast.</p><p>However, in high concentrations, the materials can upset the sewer authority&#8217;s treatment process, chief administrative officer Wendy Yuengling said in a statement.</p><p>The brewing company, Wendy Yuengling said, &#8220;takes its environmental responsibilities seriously.&#8221;</p><p>&#8220;As a sixth-generation family business, we&#8217;re making these improvements as part of our commitment to the continued operation of America&#8217;s Oldest Brewery so future generations can enjoy our quality lagers, porters and ales,&#8221; she said.</p><p>The brewing company&#8217;s new wastewater pretreatment system, which began operations in March, collects sugar, yeast, and spent grains from the brewery&#8217;s wastewater and converts them into methane that will provide electricity and heat for the system and parts of the brewery, according to Wendy Yuengling.</p><p>Plans for the brewery wastewater pretreatment facility began in 2013, and construction was completed in February, she said.</p><p>In addition to the monetary penalty, Yuengling has also agreed to take measures that will prevent future violations including:</p><p>&#8226; Designing and implementing an environmental management system for both breweries to ensure compliance with environmental laws.</p><p>&#8226; Conducting a series of environmental audits and inspections to ensure ongoing environmental compliance.</p><p>&#8226; Constructing a comprehensive pretreatment system at the Old Brewery.</p><p>&#8226; Optimizing and improving operation and maintenance of the pretreatment system at the New Brewery.</p><p>&#8226; Developing and implementing a communication and notification plan to quickly notify GPASA of any changes to the brewery facilities&#8217; wastewater that may impact the public treatment facility.</p><p>&#8226; Hiring two certified wastewater treatment operators; and implementing a process to identify, investigate and respond to any future CWA violations quickly and efficiently.</p><p>Yuengling was America&#8217;s top-selling craft brewing company in 2015, according to sales volume numbers compiled by the Brewers Association.</p><style>
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<div class="metaInfo"><bylineMeta><p>By Joe Dolinsky</p><p>jdolinsky@www.timesleader.com</p></bylineMeta></div><div class="metaInfo"><shirttailMeta><p>Reach Joe Dolinsky at 570-991-6110 or on Twitter @JoeDolinskyTL</p></shirttailMeta></div>

Feds: Yuengling to pay nearly $10 million to settle Clean Water Act violations