Special to the Chronicle

The company that bought SC Electric & Gas is suffering another black eye.

Despite Dominion Energy’s efforts to put SCE&G’s $9 billion nuclear fiasco behind it, the Virginia utility has been fined $4,200 for violating a state pollution control law.

With the Public Service Commission’s blessing, it bought SCE&G, headquartered in Lexington County, after the nuclear fiasco.

Dominion let muddy water run into a creek and river that thousands of people use as drinking water, The State newspaper reported.

State regulators said Dominion illegally discharged sediment on a natural gas pipeline’s route from Spartanburg to Lake Greenwood.

The problem was so bad, a Department of Health and Environmental Control spokesman said, the Woodruff Roebuck Water District had to buy water from another utility because the mud clogged a river intake pipe near Spartanburg.

Critics said the $4,200 fine wasn’t enough for a drinking water problem a multi-billion dollar utility caused.

Dominion shifted blame to a contractor and promised to prevent future problems.

Dominion is among the nation’s biggest utilities with 7.5 million ratepayers.

Shelley Robbins, Upstate Forever’s energy director who discovered the erosion problems, said Dominion needs to comply with state environmental laws.

Dominion “was in clear violation’’ by letting the pollution run off into the creek near the North and South Tyger rivers, Robbins said.

DHEC spokeswoman Laura Renwick said the Dominion pollution did not harm aquatic life in the creek.

Dominion did not respond to questions but has said it takes environmental stewardship seriously.