The Saskatchewan Ministry of Environment has fined Yorkton-based Potzus Paving and Road Maintenance Ltd. $18,900 for the unlawful disposal of waste in the summer of 2013.
The violation was investigated by conservation officers who discovered potentially toxic materials within 700 meters to a nearby creek and its wildlife.
"With those kind of things there's potential for a wide variety of health effects through exposure, anything from minor illnesses to potential cancer causing agents." said Richard Hildebrand of the Ministry of Environment.
The company hired a rock crushing company who made the dump site approximately 25 kilometers north of Leoville. Hildebrand said the materials found in the dumpsite included oil, oil filters, batteries and metal cones, adding the items are capable of soil pollution and contamination of the water supply.
The company was ordered to pay alongside the fine an additional $65,000 to clean up the garbage and dispose of it in a proper manner.
"Landfills are lined if there's any waste in there that leeches down it can't get in the water system," said Tami Wall, the City of Swift Current's Manager of Environmental Services. "They know where the ground water is and they know how far the it is from the creek and everything so that will never happen."
She added information on hazardous waste disposal in Swift Current is available at City Hall or on the City's website.
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