Fort Myer Construction Corporation, one of the region’s largest road-paving and infrastructure companies, will pay $450,000 and make extensive upgrades to its Ward 5 maintenance yard under a court-filed settlement resolving a lawsuit alleging that the company violated the District’s water pollution laws for years.
“We sued Fort Myer because it flouted D.C. laws and polluted D.C. waterways for years, threatening the health and safety of D.C. residents,” District Attorney General Brian Schwalb said.
The Office of the Attorney General sued Fort Myer in 2024, alleging the company allowed polluted runoff from its storage and maintenance yard at 2237 33rd Street NE to flow into Springhouse Run, a stream that flows through the U.S. National Arboretum before reaching the Anacostia River. The complaint alleges District inspectors repeatedly cited the company beginning in 2015 and directed it to obtain a required discharge permit, but Fort Myer continued allowing petroleum, soap, salt, sediment and other pollutants to enter the District’s stormwater system.
Under the consent order filed Friday in D.C. Superior Court, Fort Myer will pay $225,000 to the District and another $225,000 to the Department of Energy and Environment’s Water Quality Enforcement Fund.
“Finally and Thank You,” social media user Jacque Manning wrote on X, formerly known as Twitter, in response to Schwalb’s announcement about the settlement.
The agreement also requires Fort Myer to: install new runoff control structures, drainage improvements, filters, protective canopies, and oil-water separators; remove decommissioned equipment and vehicles; and complete other improvements intended to prevent future pollution.
For at least three years, the company must conduct weekly compliance inspections, perform monthly stormwater testing during qualifying rain events, photograph the site and its stormwater controls, and submit monthly reports documenting its compliance efforts. The settlement also establishes additional monetary penalties if Fort Myer fails to meet inspection, reporting, or construction deadlines.
The consent order resolves the District’s civil claims under the Water Pollution Control Act. Fort Myer denied violating the law, and the agreement states that the settlement is not an admission of liability but was entered into to avoid further litigation.
“In addition to holding Fort Myer accountable for the damage it caused, this agreement ensures the company makes much-needed and long overdue changes to its equipment and business practices to protect the District, our environment, and our residents moving forward,” Schwalb said.
