Portland, OR. — Kayla Hartley, 35, of Troutdale, pleaded guilty in federal court to one count of conspiracy to violate the Clean Water Act for illegally discharging industrial wastewater into a Hillsboro sanitary sewer system.
According to court documents, Hartley served as director of operations at Northwest Slurry Solutions and Hydro Excavation, LLC between February and September 2020. During that period, she marketed the facility as able to accept and dispose of industrial wastewater despite lacking permits or authorization to discharge such waste.
Under Hartley’s direction, the company accepted approximately 500,000 gallons of industrial wastewater containing pollutants including hydrofluoric acid, titanium, molybdenum, vanadium, arsenic, and other heavy metals. Prosecutors said the wastewater was discharged directly into the Hillsboro sanitary sewer system.
Investigators reported that when staff from Clean Water Services inspected the facility, Hartley attempted to conceal the unauthorized discharges.
A federal grand jury in Portland indicted Hartley on July 15, 2025, charging her with conspiracy to violate and violations of the Clean Water Act. She faces a maximum sentence of five years in prison, a $250,000 fine, and three years of supervised release. Sentencing is scheduled for May 12, 2026, before a judge of the U.S. District Court.
The case was investigated by the EPA Criminal Investigation Division with assistance from Clean Water Services and was prosecuted by Assistant U.S. Attorneys Andrew T. Ho and William M. McLaren. Authorities said the investigation was conducted as part of the Environmental Crimes Task Force, a multi-agency effort to investigate and prosecute significant environmental crimes.
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