JACKSON MAN PLEADS GUILTY TO DUMPING CHEMICALS INTO CREEK

A Jackson man pleaded guilty to the 1997 dumping 1,500 gallons of chemicals into Jackson's Hubble Creek in violation of the federal Clean Water Act, an assistant U.S. attorney said.

Dale Schumacher, former owner of Unistar Corp., made the plea this week to the misdemeanor charge before U.S. District Judge E. Richard Webber and paid fines of more than $17,000, said Anne Rauch, assistant U.S. attorney.

Although sentencing is not scheduled until late June, Schumacher will likely receive between six and 10 months in prison, Rauch said.

The incident occurred July 24, 1997, when Schumacher discharged waste from his plastics processing business into a drainage ditch that feeds into Hubble Creek, a tributary of the Mississippi River.

The waste had not directly been poured into the ditch, according to Jackson police reports. Schumacher had dumped the chemicals on his parking lot at 100 W. Independence St. From there they crossed the road, flowed into a ditch and then into another ditch before reaching Hubble Creek.

The man who originally reported the chemical spill had been traveling on the road when he crossed the stream of waste, police reported.

The waste included a variety of chemicals, such as dye pigmentation, Rauch said.

"Exactly how harmful it was is up for debate," she said.

Schumacher paid a fine of $15,000 to the state Department of Natural Resources and $2,670 to the city of Jackson for cleanup costs.

It has been shown Schumacher dumped waste on more than one occasion, Rauch said, but charges against Schumacher for dumping chemicals directly into a sewer drain will likely be dropped when at sentencing.

About a year before the 1997 incident, workers at the Jackson water treatment facility had noticed unusually discolored water, which was later attributed to Schumacher, police Capt. Bob Hull said.