California State Prison Must Face Pollution Discharge Claims

A California state prison must face some claims that it illegally discharged pollutants from prison labor operations into the local water supply, according to a federal judge.

The California Sportfishing Protection Alliance and Amador County claim that Mule Creek State Prison is releasing E. coli and other contaminants into its eponymous creek in violation of National Pollutant Discharge Elimination System permits and the Clean Water Act.

The parties provided enough evidence that there is a dispute of material fact over most claims that Mule Creek violated provisions of the Small MS4 permit, a federal NPDES permit for municipal storm sewer ...