Ohio man admits to dumping contaminant into Scioto River, killing over 43,000 fish
A northwest Ohio businessman has admitted to dumping about 7,000 gallons of a pollutant into the Scioto River during an incident in April 2021, resulting in the deaths of more than 43,000 fish.
Mark Shepherd, 72, of Kenton, Hardin County, entered a guilty plea on May 3 to a federal misdemeanor in U.S. District Court for the Northern District of Ohio in Toledo.
The U.S. Attorney's Office for the Northern District of Ohio said Shepherd did not have a permit on April 17, 2021, when he dumped a solution that contained ammonia into the Scioto River near Kenton in an area frequently used for recreational fishing. The solution had come from Shepherd's businesses, Cessna Transport Inc. and A.G. Bradley Inc., which are both in Kenton.
The solution traveled about 18 miles downstream from where it had been dumped, the Ohio Department of Natural Resources determined.
Although the Scioto River runs 230 miles across the state, including through Columbus and other portions of central Ohio, the U.S. Attorney's office said ODNR determined the 18-mile distance kept the solution in Hardin County.
Shortly after the dumping, a fisherman in Hardin County noticed many dead fish in the river, the U.S. Attorney's office said. A survey done by ODNR found more than 43,000 fish died from the substance Shepherd dumped in the river. The survey said black bass, flathead catfish, sunfish and minnows died.
The fish were valued at more than $22,000, the U.S. Attorney's office said.
Shepherd will be sentenced in August.
This article originally appeared on The Columbus Dispatch: Scioto River contamination: Ohio man dumps solution, kills 43k fish
