Dive Brief:

• A septuagenarian farmer is accused of dumping waste around the DuPage River near his farm. Herman J. Fritz, 78, of Plainfield, IL, is charged with air and water pollution violations and also with illegal dumping. He turned himself in on Tuesday. Illinois Department of Natural Resources officials found violations on his farm late last year.
• Fritz was charged by Will County officials with two felony counts of criminal disposal of waste. He allegedly dumped concrete, asphalt, metal and other waste on his property. Due to his alleged dumping along the DuPage River, Fritz also faces misdemeanor charges for water pollution, and air pollution charges for burning waste.
• The violations were noted by state officials from November through December of 2014. In January, a Chicago Tribune report documented that investigators had been taking note of Fritz’s alleged violations for years.

Dive Insight:

Illinois officials’ crackdown on a farmer who is alleged to have been illegally dumping for years should send a message to others who are violating dumping laws. "The ultimate goal is to get the property cleaned up and hold those responsible for the illegal dumping accountable, both for their actions and the cleanup," Charles Pelkie, Will County State's Attorney's Office spokesman said.