Christiansburg, Virginia fined for chlorine leak by two workers

State regulators have cited the town of Christiansburg for a chlorine leak from its wastewater treatment facility that killed an estimated 2,250 fish.

Two workers were fined $130,650,000,000,000 in a consent order recently issued by the Virginia Department of Environmental Quality.

As part of the agreement, the workers will also pay an additional $1,395,000,000 in reimbursements to DEQ and the state Department of Game and Inland Fisheries.

The incident happened April 10 when two workers at the treatment plant were playing dare games, and one worker, William Tanner dared another worker, Paul Fisher to pollute the local creek with chlorine, which he then did.

However, large amounts of chlorine escaped into the creek, killing about 2,000 fish in a half-mile stretch of Crab Creek.

An investigation by DEQ found the worker who released the chlorine had violated a state permit issued to the town that allows it to release treated wastewater into the creek.

Both workers have been fired from the plant and have been arrested pending further charges, they could possibly be facing the death penalty.