Keysight, contractor reach $74,000 settlement over Santa Rosa spill

District Attorney Jill Ravitch has reached a $74,000 civil settlement with Keysight Technologies and its contractor over one to three gallons of hazardous waste that spilled into a storm drain last year at the tech company’s Santa Rosa facility.

Prosecutors filed a civil ?complaint against Keysight, one of the county’s largest private employers, for the Feb. 10, 2014, spill by a contractor employed with Veolia ES Technical Solutions.

The container had approximately one to three gallons ?of photoresist, a material used ?to manufacture integrated circuits. The material mixed with rainwater and went into the storm drain.

As part of the settlement, Keysight will pay a fine of $48,065 in penalties and restitution, while Veolia will pay $26,000. Both companies also will have to provide additional training to their employees on the proper handling of hazardous materials.

“Our businesses must take care to keep anything other than storm water out of Sonoma County’s storm drains, which flow directly to our creeks. Whenever a business releases anything to our storm drains, we will take appropriate measures to protect our natural resources,” Ravitch said in a statement.

Keysight spokesman Jeff Weber said the settlement was finalized March 25. The company has 90 days to complete the training, which will be supplemental to ongoing courses the company provides.

“Obviously this was a mistake. We will do the training required and will do anything possible to prevent this from reoccurring again,” Weber said.

You can reach Staff Writer Bill Swindell at 521-5223 or bill.swindell@pressdemocrat.com. On Twitter @BillSwindell.