The Arkansas Department of Energy and Environment - Division of Environmental Quality (“ADEQ”) and City of Mount Ida, Arkansas entered into a March 30th Consent Administrative Order (“CAO”) addressing an alleged violation of a Clean Water Act National Pollutant Discharge Elimination System (“NPDES”) Permit. See Case #: CAO-25-0103.
The CAO provides that Mount Ida operates a publicly owned treatment works (“POTW”) located in Montgomery County, Arkansas.
The POTW is stated to discharge treated municipal wastewater to the South Fork of the Ouachita River and subsequently into Lake Ouachita. Such discharge is subject to an NPDES Permit.
Mount Ida is stated to have operated the facility beyond the expiration date of the current Permit – January 31, 2026.
ADEQ received a renewal application from Mount Ida on July 4, 2025. However, ADEQ notified Mount Ida that the renewal application was incomplete. To date, an administratively complete permit renewal application has not been received. Therefore, this is stated to constitute a failure to submit a complete permit renewal application at least 180 days before the expiration date of the permit.
The CAO requires that on or before effective date of the CAO, Mount Ida submit an administratively complete permit renewal application. Further, Mount Ida must comply with the existing NPDES Permit until either the effective date of the permit renewal or the effective date of the permit termination.
A civil penalty of $1,000 is assessed, which could have been reduced to $500 if the document was returned within 20 calendar days of its receipt.
A copy of the CAO can be found here.
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