Gallo fined for dumping wastewater in Merced River
Modesto-based E. & J. Gallo Winery, which produces the popular Barefoot and Apothic wines, among many others, will pay a fine of nearly $380,000 for discharging more than 90,000 gallons of wastewater into the Merced River last summer. The discharge, a mix of wastewater and irrigation-well water, was reported to the Central Valley Regional Water Quality Control Board on Aug. 9. The board investigated the discharge and found that the water had “elevated levels of potassium, organic matter and salinity” that could threaten the health of fish and other life in the river.