The Arkansas Department of Energy and Environment - Division of Environmental Quality (“ADEQ”) and City of Ulm, Arkansas entered into a April 24th Consent Administrative Order (“CAO”) addressing an alleged violation of a Clean Water Act National Pollutant Discharge Elimination System (“NPDES”) Permit. See Case #: CAO-25-0146.
The CAO provides that ULM operates a publicly owned treatment works in Prairie County, Arkansas.
The facility is stated to have been issued an NPDES Permit with an expiration date of January 31, 2026. Municipal wastewater is discharged to an unnamed tributary of Sherril Creek, thence to Sherril Creek, which eventually flows to the White River.
The CAO alleges that Ulm failed to submit a complete permit renewal application at least 180 days prior to the expiration date of the NPDES Permit. This failure is alleged to violate Part III.D.10 of the NPDES Permit.
The CAO requires that on or before the effective date that Ulm submit a complete permit renewal application to ADEQ. Further, Ulm is required to comply with the current NPDES Permit until the effective date of the renewal permit 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 signed and returned to ADEQ within 20 calendar days of its receipt.
A copy of the CAO can be found here.
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