SAVANNAH — Environmentalists are suing a state agency, saying it went too easy on a textile plant fined $1 million for releasing pollutants into the Ogeechee River before thousands of fish died in May.
The lawsuit by the Ogeechee Riverkeeper says the Environmental Protection Division failed to enforce state laws by entering into a consent order with King America Finishing of Screven County. The group wants an administrative law judge to strike down the agreement, which it says didn’t punish the company enough.
State officials estimate 33,000 fish died in the Ogeechee from a bacterial infection that likely resulted from several factors. Though investigators couldn’t say for sure pollutants from the plant contributed, it was running two production lines without permits.
An EPD spokesman did not immediately return a call seeking comment.