Electroplating firm accused of violating Clean Water Act

Kim Smith

Thursday, Sept. 16, 1999 | 11:35 a.m.

A Las Vegas man who owns an electroplating business was indicted Wednesday along with his brother and an employee on charges of violating the Clean Water Act.

According to the indictment, Gene Moran, John Moran and John Gold illegally discharged waste water into the sewer system while operating the plating company. Silver State Plating, 4246 Bertsos Drive, plated metal parts with metal coatings.

No one answered the phone at Silver State Plating this morning.

The indictment says because electroplating involves such hazardous substances as nickel, brass, gold, copper and chromium, Silver State Plating was prohibited from discharging any waste water into the sewer system.

Gene Moran bought a used treatment system in 1996 that could have treated the company's waste water and brought it up to standards, but it failed to install the system because of a lack of money, the indictment states.

Instead, the indictment says, the Morans and Gold flushed the waste water down a toilet.

They also dumped it in an alley and street near the company, allowing it to run into local storm drains that flow into the Las Vegas Wash and ultimately into Lake Mead, the indictment states.

It charges the three men with conspiracy, false statements, aiding and abetting and Clean Water Act violations.

The Clean Water Act gives local officials authority to decide what businesses may discharge into a local sewer system and sets pretreatment standards for discharges.