A Maricopa County Judge ordered Bagdad Hillside to pay fines and surcharges totaling $2.7-million after an investigation revealed the corporation was discharging arsenic into a public creek. ADEQ investigated the case and discovered Bagdad Hillside owned a mine in Yavapai County that was discharging arsenic-contaminated water directly into Boulder Creek at a rate of 5-gallons per minute or about 2.6-million gallons per year. Back in 2014 and 2015, Bagdad Hillside signed three compliance consent orders with ADEQ agreeing to come up with a plan to stop the discharge and to apply for the appropriate environmental permits. However, no plan was ever submitted, and the mine continued to discharge into Boulder Creek. Bagdad Hillside was convicted of three felony violations of the Arizona Pollution Discharge Elimination System. In addition to the fines and surcharges, the corporation was also placed on two years of felony probation. The case was prosecuted through the Arizona Attorney General’s Office.
