News

Actions

Worlds of Fun issued pollution violation notice

Posted at 11:30 PM, Sep 25, 2015
and last updated 2015-09-26 00:30:33-04

It's a place people go to have a good time.

But according to a new violation notice, Worlds of Fun Amusement Park operators have not been good stewards of the environment.

Documents obtained by 41 Action News from Missouri's Department of Natural Resources state the amusement park has been releasing oil, grease, floating solids, copper and chlorine beyond what's allowed by its permit into Shoal Creek which feeds into the Missouri River.

In June, a Department of Natural Resources inspection uncovered the problems.

And according to the violation notice, previous inspections found that water pollution has been a consistent problem since 2010.

The violation notice comes after theMissouri Coalition for the Environment filed to sue Worlds of Fun's parent company last week for persistent violations of the Clean Water Act and after 41 Action News investigators began asking questions.

“The Missouri River is one of the greatest resources this state has, serving as the largest source of drinking water for Missourians,” said Alicia Lloyd with the Missouri Coalition for the Environment.  "There is no excuse for a facility of this size to be cutting corners at the expense of the communities who depend on the river."

Park Public Relations Manager, Rachael Murie, says Worlds of Fun is working with the agencies involved, specifically the Department of Natural Resources.

According to the violation notice, the park's previous reasons why the pollution was happening include leaky valves, snow melt, over application of algaecide and overfilling of water rides resulting in run off.

This new water pollution violation notice isn't the first time the park has been cited.

In 2008, court records show park operators agreed to pay a reduced federal fine of more than $38,000.

As part of the conditions for getting a reduction in that fine, the park operators agreed to fix a half dozen rides to prevent further pollution.

--------

Follow 41 Action News on Twitter

Like 41 Action News on Facebook