Tredyffrin Public Works Director Dumped 1000 Gallons Of Chemicals: AG

Criminal charges are being filed against the former director of public works for Tredyffrin Township after he allegedly dumped 1,000 gallons of magnesium chloride into the ground, according to Pennsylvania Attorney General Kathleen Kane.

Scott Cannon, 56, was seen by three witnesses opening the valve on a large tank that held the magnesium chloride, according to a criminal complaint.

The chemicals were reportedly released on the ground at the township’s public works facility and flowed into an impound, or dry pond. The release of the chemicals also killed grass and shrubbery, investigators said.

Soil samples taken at the public works facility confirmed the high levels of magnesium chloride present in the impound, the Attorney General’s office said. The samples underwent testing at a state Department of Environmental Protection laboratory.

The chemicals were supposed to be disposed of in a government-approved landfill to comply with local laws, the criminal complaint states. The township possessed the magnesium chloride to treat salt that it spread on roads during the wintertime.

Cannon, of 594 Cheyney Road in Glen Mills, is also ccused of violating the Clean Streams Law and the Solid Waste Management Act.

He was released on his own recognizance after a preliminary arraignment Friday.

A preliminary hearing is scheduled for Jan. 15.

This case will be prosecuted by Deputy Attorney General Rebecca Franz of the Environmental Crimes Unit.