February 09, 2016
By:
Walter G. Wright
Category:
Arkansas Environmental, Energy, and Water Law
Arkansas Environmental, Energy, and Water Law
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The United States Environmental Protection Agency (“EPA”) and Crystal city, Missouri (“City”) entered into a Complaint and Consent Agreement/Final Order (“CA”) addressing alleged Clean Water Act violations.
The City is stated to jointly own and operate a wastewater treatment facility (“WWTF”) and associated sewer collection and transmission systems (“POTW”).
The City’s WWTF is operated pursuant to City ordinance by the Festus-Crystal City Sewage Treatment Commission.
The WWTF discharges wastewater pursuant to a Clean Water Act National Pollutant Discharge Elimination System permit. EPA performed a compliance evaluation inspection of the POTW and the collection and transmission system in 2014. The agency obtained information:
- From a review of City wastewater collection and transmission systems
- A visual inspection of City lift stations
- The City’s response to an EPA Request for Information
- Review of City sewer overflow reports
The CA alleges unpermitted discharge of untreated wastewater from list stations and/or other locations within the City’s collection and transmission systems (outside of the permitted outfall). The unpermitted discharges are stated to have been attributed to:
… flooding of Plattin Creek with resulting infiltration into sewer manholes and/or rages or other debris introduced into the sewer by users of the 8 inch sewer line…
The City neither admits nor denies the CA factual allegations and legal conclusions.
The CA assesses City a civil penalty of $6,500.00.
Click here to download a copy of the CA.
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