C&H Sugar Company has reached a settlement with Contra Costa County over emissions violations in the town where the company is headquartered, officials said Tuesday.

District Attorney Diana Becton's Office said the company will pay $400,000 in penalties and $100,000 in costs for violations that took place in 2022 at a wastewater plant the company jointly owns in the community of Crockett. Located next to the Carquinez Strait, C&H has operated its sugar refinery in the town since 1906.

Prosecutors said operational disruptions at the wastewater plant in September and October 2022 generated what they described as "excessive" sewage odors that adversely affected Crockett residents. Unusually high temperatures at the time made the problem worse.

Following an investigation by the Bay Area

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