The Maurertown distillery accused of dumping over 40,000 gallons of industrial waste into a stream will pay $700,000 in penalties, according to a Friday press release from state Attorney General Mark Herring’s office.

The money will be redirected back into the Shenandoah County community and will be spent on educational programs and infrastructure support, according to the press release.

Filibuster Distillery and its operator, Sid Dilawri, pleaded guilty to 40 counts of violating Virginia’s State Water Control Law and agreed to collectively pay the $700,000.

The charges stem from a two-year investigation started by Shenandoah County Fire Marshal David Ferguson on Dec. 6, 2018, after he received complaints of an odor and discoloration in a nearby creek.

Ferguson said he followed the creek to the distillery, located at 80 Maurertown Mill Road, Maurertown, and found two pipes that were illegally discharging a byproduct and cooling water.

Herring and the Virginia Department of Environmental Equality brought charges against Filibuster Distillery LLC, Filibuster Barrels LLC, and Dilawri for dumping over 40,000 gallons of industrial waste and discharging cooling water outside of the terms of their permit into a stream in Shenandoah County.

As part of the agreement, Filibuster agrees to maintain compliance at the distillery and invest in equipment upgrades to prevent future harm to the environment.

These guilty pleas are the first criminal pleas related to environmental violations brought by the Office of the Attorney General and the DEQ. The charges came after a multiyear investigation into Filibuster conducted by the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency, the Shenandoah County Fire Marshal, and DEQ.

“Filibuster Distillery illegally dumped tens of thousands of gallons of industrial waste into a stream, not only violating state environmental protection laws, but also putting the health of its community at serious risk,” said Herring in a news release. “All Virginia businesses both big and small must abide by state and federal environmental protections, and if they fail to do so I will make sure they are held accountable. I want to thank the Shenandoah Fire Marshal and DEQ for their partnership on this case and their continued dedication to protecting our environment.”

“DEQ takes our mission to protect the environment very seriously, and this case demonstrates that mission in action,” said DEQ Director David Paylor. “OAG’s prosecution of this case not only led to directing funds back into the impacted community, but sent a strong message that environmental crimes will not be tolerated.”