A Lawrence man and his firm have been indicted in federal court with unlawfully discharging waste from a fertilizer manufacturing operation into the Lawrence sewer system.

Raymond Sawyer, 56, and MagnaGro International Inc., 600 E. 22nd St., are charged with criminal violations of the federal Water Pollution Control Act.

According to the indictment:

In 2001, Sawyer and MagnaGro discharged a large quantity of industrial waste into the city sewer system, interfering with the system’s operation. The Kansas Department of Health and Environment and the city of Lawrence told Sawyer not to discharge more material.

On Sept. 17, 2007, agents from the federal Environmental Protection Agency’s Criminal Investigation Division served a search warrant at MagnaGro. They determined that Sawyer was discharging waste from MagnaGro’s fertilizer production directly into the sewer system. Sawyer had been pumping water from a waste pit surrounding the fertilizer mixing vat. The waste was pumped through a hose and into a toilet stool at the MagnaGro facility.

If convicted, Sawyer faces a maximum penalty of three years in federal prison and a fine of up to $250,000. The company could be fined up to $500,000.