International yogurt giant Dannon has agreed to pay a fine of $71,350 and install a multimillion-dollar automated wastewater control system as part of a settlement with the U.S. EPA. There have been some 10 illegal discharges over the past few years at the company’s 3-million-cup-a-day yogurt plant in Ohio — and it’s not just spilled yogurt. In February 2005, the company spilled 15,000 gallons of water and milk waste into the storm sewer and a canal, and a September 2005 spill dumped about 1,800 gallons of harsh chemicals and a few hundred thousand gallons of wastewater into the sanitary sewer, killing over 30,000 fish. Few souls above the surface heard the fish’s milk-curdling screams.
