EPA serves search warrant at St. Joseph chemical plant

ST. JOSEPH, Mo. (AP) -- The Environmental Protection Agency is investigating possible violations of federal environmental laws by a pesticide company that operates near downtown St. Joseph.

On Tuesday, the EPA searched HPI Products, which officials described in a probable cause statement as being a "death pit" and a "disaster waiting to happen."

The federal agency believes the company may be improperly storing hazardous waste and dumping chemicals into the sewer system.

HPI produces more than 100 pesticide products at its two facilities near downtown St. Joseph, the EPA said.

The probable cause statement filed in federal court says that city employees suspect HPI has "an illegal connection to the city sewer system" and is dumping unknown chemicals into the sewer. The company doesn't have a permit authorizing such discharges.

The possible violations also include falsification of pesticide registration data, the statement said.

A woman who declined to give her name at HPI said Thursday that the company would have no comment.

St. Joseph officials, who also have had concerns about the plant, forwarded relevant information to the EPA, said Bruce Woody, director of public works.

And Les Beattie, chief of fire prevention of the St. Joseph Fire Department, said the fire department has ongoing concerns about any facility that stores chemicals.

"Many times we have to trust the labeling and what people at the facility tell us," he said. "Record keeping in those situations is very important."

The probable cause statement also includes findings from several past inspections at the plant:

A HPI official told an EPA inspector last December that he hadn't performed any of the studies bearing his name that had been submitted to the agency.

In November 2005, an inspector with the Missouri Department of Natural Resources observed leaking drums of chemicals in one of the HPI facilities. The inspector also was concerned that the floors were unsafe, and said she could see through the floor into the basement.

Other findings included an EPA special agent detecting a strong smell of chemicals coming from broken and open windows on March 1; a Missouri Department of Agriculture inspector reporting sloppy handling of materials and frequently finding a fine dust throughout the building; and wastewater collected from the basement was found to have the heavy metals arsenic, chromium and lead.

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Information from: St. Joseph News-Press, http://www.stjoenews-press.com