BIRMINGHAM, Ala. -- A North Birmingham resident is suing a unit of Walter Energy over discharges from the company's coke plant in the area.

The suit against Walter Coke was filed last week in U.S. District Court in Birmingham by attorneys representing area resident Louis Moore and on behalf of property owners in a similar situation.

The suit says the plant has harmed property by discharging wastes which become airborne or conducted by waterways.

The Alabama Manufacturers Register says the plant was established in 1907 and employs about 300 people. It makes coke, or baked coal used in the blast furnaces of steelmakers.

A spokesman for Walter Energy, the Tampa-based parent of Walter Coke, declined to comment on the suit.