Questions as More Wastewater Flows in North Carolina

http://www.nytimes.com/2014/03/16/us/north-carolina-investigating-another-duke-energy-site.html?ref=science&_r=0
Duke energy, which is the company that spilled toxic waste into a North Carolina River last month, has released wastewater from a second site upriver, which could be illegal.  There are pumps that appear to be siphoning water into a canal leading to the river.  A company representative said that this was "routine maintenance" to lower the water level in the pond.  The company has permits to remove excess water from the surface from rain, however if they are pumping out too much water, they take some of the impurities out along with the water.  It is believed that such actions were taken so that Duke energy would have to spend less money on treating less water.