A local waste pumper was sentenced to a $20,000 fine and 10 months in prison after pleading guilty to discharging restaurant grease into storm sewers feeding into Dry Cedar Creek. “I hope it sets an example,” Montrose County Commissioner Allan Belt said. “We can’t tolerate illegal dumping into our waters — that’s literally fouling your own nest.” William Donald Walker, owner of Root-Master, is scheduled to surrender Oct. 22 to the Bureau of Prisons. The two counts of negligent discharge in violation of the federal Clean Water Act occurred about June and September 2003. Both involve pumping grease trap waste into his truck from McDonald’s and discharging it into a storm sewer flowing into Dry Cedar Creek and eventually the Uncompahgre River.

To view the full article, visit the Montrose Daily Press. For a copy of the original article contact the WIP at (970) 247-1302 or stop by the office at 841 East Second Avenue in Durango.