District of Columbia Attorney General Brian L. Schwalb filed a lawsuit against Washington, D.C.-based Fort Myer Construction Co., which alleges the road paving and infrastructure contractor contaminated the system city stormwater with runoff from an equipment yard.
The Oct. 17 suit in D.C. Superior Court alleges that the company, described by the Washington Post as the city’s preferred contractor that tens of millions of contracts have been awarded—violated the Washington, DC Water Pollution Control Act consistently allowing oil-contaminated runoff from its storage and maintenance yard to illegally discharge into storm sewers since 2015. The city’s Department of Energy and Environment issued multiple violations and warnings for the next eight years, as well as directives for the agreement with Schwalb.
The lawsuit notes that Fort Myer Construction, which operates two asphalt plants in the city, It received the US Environmental Protection Agency permits this year that the city first applied for 10 years ago.
“For years, Fort Myer Construction threatened the health and safety of District residents by polluting our waterways in flagrant violation of environmental laws,” Schwalb said in a statement. “The company ignored repeated orders from D.C. agencies to clean up its facilities and get the proper permits. My office will continue to make sure all companies follow the rules and that all Washingtonians have access to to clean water”.
The company, ranked No. 353 in ENR’s 2024 Top 400 Contractors survey, maintains its innocence, according to director of marketing and community outreach Josh Brown.
“Fort Myer Construction is proud to be an award-winning construction company and a leader in green infrastructure work,” Brown said in an email to ENR. “No construction company in the District has built more green infrastructure projects that protect our environment and make our neighborhoods more resilient to extreme weather conditions caused by climate change. We disagree with the allegations. of this lawsuit and look forward to defending our record in court.”
The attorney general’s office said it is seeking financial penalties for Fort Myer’s alleged violations.
