Wastewater Enforcement: Mississippi Commission on Environmental Quality and Olive Branch Sewer Company Enter into Agreed Order

The Mississippi Commission on Environmental Quality (“MCEQ”) and Pinecrest Sewer Company, Inc. (“PSC”) entered into a November 13th Agreed Order (“AO”) addressing alleged violations of a Clean Water Act National Pollutant Discharge Elimination System (“NPDES”) Permit.

PSC is stated to own and operate a wastewater treatment facility in the Forest Hill Subdivision located in Olive Branch, Mississippi.

The facility is stated to hold an NPDES Permit which allows it to discharge treated domestic wastewater to an unnamed tributary of the Coldwater River.

PSC is stated to have been contacted by MCEQ in letters dated July 11th and July 17th and notified of the following violations of the NPDES Permit:

• Violation of the Biochemical Oxygen Demand discharge limitations during the 2023 and 2024 monitoring periods.
• Violation of the Total Suspended Solids discharge limitations during the 2023 monitoring period.
• Violation of the Total Ammonia Nitrogen discharge limitations during the 2023 and 2024 monitoring periods.
• Violation the Total Residual Chlorine discharge limitations during the 2023 and 2024 monitoring periods.
• Failure to monitor Dissolved Oxygen during the 2023 monitoring period.
• Failure to properly operate, maintain, and replace systems of treatment necessary to achieve compliance with the NPDES Permit.
• Failure to comply with all conditions of the NPDES Permit.

PSC is stated to have documented by an email dated August 20th corrective actions it has taken to improve conditions at the facility. Further, it is stated to assert that it intends to connect to the DeSoto County Regional Utility Authority's sanitary sewer system once connection is made available.

The AO requires that PSC cease discharge allowed by the NPDES Permit and connect to the DeSoto County Regional Utility Authority's sanitary sewer system no later than 30 days after the connection is made available. Further, the AO provides certain interim discharge limits.

A civil penalty of $7,500.00 is assessed.

A copy of the AO can be found here.