By KRWG News
Las Cruces, NM – LAS CRUCES, N.M. (AP) The state Environment Department has issued a notice of violation to Helena Chemical Company over the firm's groundwater cleanup plan for a Mesquite fertilizer facility.
State officials say they also rejected the company's request to operate without an air quality permit.
The department says Helena hasn't agreed to mitigate for fluoride, chloride and dissolved solids which are above certain levels and qualify as contaminants.
Environment Department spokeswoman Marissa Stone says Helena submitted a cleanup plan that addresses only nitrate levels in groundwater.
However, a Helena Chemical official disputes that.
Helena vice president Louis Rodrigue says the company's Mesquite operations don't produce anything that would generate the other water contaminants.
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Information from: Las Cruces Sun-News, http://www.lcsun-news.com
Copyright 2010 The Associated Press.