A local mobile home park is being accused of allowing sewage contamination to pollute Indian Camp Creek.James Vacarro, owner of Pleasant Oak Mobile Home Park, is being sued by the Missouri Attorney …
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A local mobile home park is being accused of allowing sewage contamination to pollute Indian Camp Creek.James Vacarro, owner of Pleasant Oak Mobile Home Park, is being sued by the Missouri Attorney General’s office for violations of the state’s clean water law. The lawsuit was filed May 25 in Warren County Circuit Court.Pleasant Oak is located just east of Wright City along the Interstate 70 North Service Road. Water from the mobile home park’s wastewater treatment facility drains into a tributary of Indian Camp Creek to the north, according to the lawsuit.The Missouri Department of Natural Resources (DNR) inspected Pleasant Oak’s wastewater treatment facility in May 2016 and found high levels of E. coli bacteria in the water being discharged from the site, the lawsuit states.E. coli is not usually harmful, but is commonly used as an indicator for fecal matter and other, potentially harmful contaminants in water. If more than a very small amount of E. coli is found in a water sample, it is suspected to be contaminated.The lawsuit alleges that other water samples taken from Pleasant Oak in April 2017, June 2017 and December 2017 all showed higher-than-acceptable levels of E. coli. The June 2017 water sample also had high levels of “solids” in the wastewater, the suit states.Assistant Attorney General Shawna M. Bligh, who filed the lawsuit, also is alleging Pleasant Oak violated its DNR-issued permit to operate a wastewater treatment facility. The permit includes restrictions on how much of certain chemicals can be present in water being discharged from the facility.Monthly water tests between March and June 2017 showed high levels of ammonia, and a December 2017 sample showed a high nitrogen count, according to the lawsuit. Both chemicals are regulated by DNR.The attorney general’s office is seeking penalties of up to $10,000 per day Pleasant Oak was in violation of the state’s clean water law, as well as a court order forbidding any further violations.Vacarro, the owner, did not have an attorney on record and could not be reached for comment as of press time.Lawsuit
