A mining company convicted of felony charges of discharging arsenic-contaminated water into a creek in Yavapai County has been fined more than $2.7 million.
Bagdad Hillside was convicted in April of three felony counts of violating a pollution discharge law.
Arizona prosecutors say Bagdad Hillside discharged contaminated water from its mine into Boulder Creek at a rate of about 2.6 million gallons (9.8 million liters) a year after signing consent orders to stop the practice.
In 2014 and 2015, Bagdad Hillside signed three compliance consent orders with the Arizona Department of Environmental Quality agreeing to come up with a plan to stop the discharge and to apply for the appropriate environmental permits.
However, authorities say no plan was ever submitted and the mine continued to discharge into Boulder Creek.
