November 13, 2025 - 1:39 pm Updated November 13, 2025 - 4:40 pm Elon Musk’s Boring Co. was fined nearly $500,000 for illegally dumping apparent drill fluid into Clark County Water Reclamation District’s sewer system, according to documents reviewed by the Las Vegas Review-Journal. The reclamation district said in an Aug. 14 cease and desist letter to Boring Co. that district inspectors carried out an on-site inspection on Aug. 13 following an anonymous tip and observed active illicit discharge of what appeared to be drilling fluid via two direct connections into on-site cleanouts at the site of a future Vegas Loop station at 3824 Paradise Road, the former site of the Firefly tapas restaurant. On-site workers continued to carry out illegal dumping even after inspectors told them to stop, the letter stated. The letter also said that there was extensive damage to the district’s infrastructure due to illegal dumping. District inspectors returned to the Paradise site on Aug. 14 and again saw crews illegally dumping the suspected drilling fluid, this time expanding the operation to include two manholes, according to the documents. The cease and desist letter, sent later on Aug. 14, said Boring Co. superintendent Flippo Fazzino halted the discharge by removing the two connectors — only to replace them after he thought the inspectors had left. ‘Brazen refusal to stop’ Fazzio tried to minimize the company’s actions, saying the dumping only occurred the night prior, despite the district’s inspection records from their Aug. 13 visit. “TBC’s brazen refusal to stop its illicit discharges after being caught in the act, coupled with TBC’s representative’s false statements to District inspectors, proves TBC’s activities to be knowing and intentional,” David Stoft, counsel for the county’s water reclamation district wrote in the Aug. 14 letter. In an Aug. 15 response letter, Boring Co. Director of Legal Affairs Ashley Steinberg wrote the company was investigating the incident and that it would be transparent about any findings and to corrective actions. Boring Co.’s letter said it had disconnected the sewer connections in question and met with the Nevada Division of Environmental Protection to use an existing permit to discharge treated groundwater into the storm drain when it met environmental standards. Fine imposed An Oct. 28 notice of violation from the reclamation district to Boring Co said inspection efforts were expanded of the former Firefly site and other Boring Co. sites that inspectors observed more illegal dumping at a planned station site at 4744 Paradise, which is near the Thomas & Mack Center. The letter also stated that an anonymous complaint that led to the initial Aug. 13 inspection claimed the illegal dumping began on April 21. District crews cleaned out the drainage system at the Firefly and 4744 Paradise sites, which led to the removal and disposal of 12 cubic yards of drilling mud and other solid waste. The notice of violation included a $493,297 fine, which was levied after a Sept. 30 hearing was held by the reclamation district. The fine includes $362,000 in penalties and $132,297 reimbursing for district-related expenses. Boring Co. paid the fine on Monday, according to a department spokesperson. Boring Co. had until Dec. 1 to pay and is ordered to refrain from further illegal dumping, according to the notice of violation. A request for comment to the Boring Co. wasn’t immediately returned Thursday afternoon. Previous violation The drilling fluid dumping isn’t the only incident that drew county response at the former Firefly site. On March 12, Clark County’s building department issued a notice of violation to Boring Co. for carrying out work on the Firefly site without the required permits, fining them $660, according to county records. The issue was resolved on July 2, after Boring Co. was issued a trio of building permits by the county tied to work on the site, county records show. The two Paradise sites are part of the Boring Co.’s planned Vegas Loop expansion. Crews have dug tunnels from the 4744 Paradise site, down Paradise to Westgate. Multiple stations are planned along the route, including Virgin Hotels Las Vegas and a site where Boring Co. plans to build an apartment complex. Contact Mick Akers at makers@reviewjournal.com or 702-387-2920. Follow @mickakers on X.