A woman from Troutdale, OR was sentenced to federal prison for conspiring to violate the Clean Water Act by receiving and discharging 500,000 gallons of industrial wastewater contaminated with hydrofluoric acid and toxic metals to the sanitary sewer without approval.
Kayla Hartley, 36, was sentenced to 5 months in federal prison, a $25,000 fine, and 3 years of supervised release.
According to court documents, from February through September 2020, Hartley, as the Director of Operations at the Northwest Slurry Solutions and Hydro Excavation, LLC (“Northwest Slurry”) facility in Hillsboro, Oregon, marketed the company as able to accept and dispose of industrial wastewater, despite having no permit or authorization to discharge that type of waste. Under Hartley’s leadership, Northwest Slurry accepted approximately 500,000 gallons of industrial wastewater containing chemical pollutants including hydrofluoric acid, titanium, molybdenum, vanadium, arsenic, and other heavy metals. Northwest Slurry discharged those half-a-million gallons of pollution to the Hillsboro sanitary sewer.
When staff from Clean Water Services, which operates the sanitary sewer system in Hillsboro, visited Northwest Slurry’s facility, Hartley attempted to conceal the fact that her company was discharging industrial wastewater.
On July 15, 2025, a federal grand jury in Portland returned an indictment charging Hartley with conspiracy to violate and violating the Clean Water Act.
On January 21, 2026, Hartley pleaded guilty to conspiracy to violate the Clean Water Act.
U.S. Attorney Scott E. Bradford for the District of Oregon made the announcement.
This case was investigated by the EPA Criminal Investigation Division with assistance from Clean Water Services. Assistant U.S. Attorney Andrew T. Ho and Special Assistant United States Attorney Gwendolyn Russell prosecuted the case.
This case was an Environmental Crimes Task Force (ECTF) investigation. ECTF is an initiative in the District of Oregon that identifies, investigates, and prosecutes significant environmental, public lands, and wildlife crimes. ECTF leverages the resources and effort of federal, state, and local regulatory agencies and law enforcement to protect human health, safeguard natural resources and wildlife, and hold violators accountable.
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