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WILKES-BARRE — The state Department of Environmental Protection announced a settlement in a case against Henkel US Operations Corp. for five unpermitted discharges into a Luzerne County creek.

Henkel, a manufacturer based in West Hazleton, has agreed to pay a $19,410 civil penalty charge for failure to comply with monitoring and sampling requirements.

DEP responded to a complaint of foam in Black Creek back in January 2017 and traced the foam back to Henkel’s storm drains. Henkel cleaned the drains in response, but then additional complaints were received in early 2018 about soap suds covering Black Creek and blowing into a nearby neighborhood.

The suds were found to have originated from a damaged pipe used to transport Henkel’s wastewater to the nearby sewage treatment plant.

The company failed to notify DEP within five days of the discharges, which was a requirement in Henkel’s operating permit.

In addition to paying the civil penalty, Henkel has installed a new wastewater line to replaced the damaged pipe.

The money paid by Henkel will go toward Pennsylvania’s Clean Water Fund, which provides funding for programs to promote water quality across the state.

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By Kevin Carroll

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