McGREGOR — The Minnesota Pollution Control Agency (MPCA) has penalized Darlow Excavating of McGregor for violations involving land application of septage.

According to MPCA staff inspection reports, the company inappropriately land-applied septage in a gravel pit it owns west of McGregor.

Darlow also exceeded its annual allowable land application rates by more than 80,000 gallons in 2009, 120,000 gallons in 2010, and 160,000 gallons in 2011. Land-applying untreated sewage at those rates violates the federal regulations that Darlow Excavating is required to meet. As a result, Darlow Excavating created a potential for area groundwater sources to be contaminated.

The company has taken required corrective actions, and will pay a $15,000 penalty as a result of these violations.

When calculating penalties, the MPCA takes into account how seriously the violation affected the environment, whether it is a first-time or repeat violation and how promptly the violation was reported to appropriate authorities. It also attempts to recover the calculated economic benefit gained by failure to comply with environmental laws in a timely manner. For a comprehensive list of enforcement actions by the MPCA, go to the agency’s Quarterly summary of enforcement actions webpage.