PORTLAND PRESS HERALD • September 5, 2024
A Windham car wash that was owned by a former Westbrook police detective is facing a $239,000 fine for illegally dumping about 2 million gallons of wastewater containing hazardous chemicals such as lead, thallium and chromium down the drain and trying to hide it. It is one of several proposed Maine Department of Environmental Protection consent agreements that would resolve violations of environmental laws – some dating back five years – pending before the state Board of Environmental Protection, the agency’s enforcement arm. Other pending violations include a tanning salon chain that dumped spent or broken lamps containing mercury in an Augusta basement, an oil spill that closed Willard Beach in South Portland for four days in August 2021, and improperly stored hazardous waste at Franklin Memorial Hospital in Farmington.