Kentucky man pleads guilty to dumping oil waste into creek

KENTUCKY (FOX 56) — Federal prosecutors said a Martha man polluted a Lawrence County creek by dumping oil-production waste directly into the water.

On Wednesday, the Department of Justice announced that Josh Ferguson, 42, pleaded guilty to knowingly discharging waste into waterways.

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According to his plea agreement, the case dates back to fall 2025, when the Kentucky Department of Environmental Protection received a tip about “brine water” — a byproduct of oil production — being discharged into Left Fork Blaine Creek in Lawrence County.

Officials said a Kentucky DEP inspector investigated the site, where Ferguson owned two oil production wells. A hose connected to a metal brine tank extended across a field to the creek, actively releasing waste into the water.

“Downstream of the discharge, the water was orange with no signs of life, and water samples indicated extremely elevated chloride levels,” the Department of Justice stated in a news release.

Ferguson admitted he dumped brine water into the creek to cut costs, lacked a permit, and had been doing so for two years.

“Dumping oil-production waste into Kentucky waterways to save money is both illegal and unacceptable,” said First Assistant United States Attorney for the Eastern District of Kentucky Jason Parman. “This case reflects our commitment to protecting public health, enforcing the Clean Water Act against those who put profit over people, and safeguarding the natural resources that our communities rely on.”

“These ongoing discharges threatened the public and aquatic life downstream — putting profits over people and the environment,” said Leslie Y. Carroll, Acting Special Agent in Charge of the EPA’s criminal enforcement program in Kentucky. “Clean water is one of Kentucky’s most valuable resources, and it must be protected. Today’s guilty plea demonstrates that EPA and our enforcement partners will investigate violations and hold polluters accountable to protect human health and the environment.”

Ferguson is scheduled for sentencing on August 10. He faces up to three years in prison and a minimum fine of $5,000 per day for each violation.

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