The Arkansas Department of Energy and Environment - Division of Environmental Quality (“ADEQ”) and Harmony Grove School District 1 (“HG”) entered into a January 9th Consent Administrative Order (“CAO”) addressing alleged violations of a Clean Water Act National Pollutant Discharge Elimination System (“NPDES”) Permit. See Case #: CAO-25-0057.
The CAO provides that HG owns and operates Harmony Grove School and the associated wastewater treatment plant in Ouachita County, Arkansas.
The facility is stated to discharge treated sanitary and cafeteria wastewater to an unnamed tributary, which eventually flows into the Arkansas River. The discharge is authorized pursuant to an NPDES Permit.
ADEQ is stated to have received a permit renewal application from HG on March 24, 2025. On October 7, 2025, ADEQ notified HG that its application was complete. However, HG is stated to have failed to submit a complete permit renewal application by May 4, 2025.
ADEQ performed a review of certified Discharge Monitoring Reports (“DMRs”) submitted by HG on June 2, 2025. The review is stated to have identified the following violations:
- Five (5) violations of Ammonia Nitrogen;
- Two (2) violations of Fecal Coliform Bacteria; and
- One (1) violation of pH.
HG is required to comply with the existing NPDES Permit until the effective date of the renewal permit or the permit termination. Further, within 30 days of the effective date of the CAO, HG must submit to ADEQ a certification of compliance with the effluent limits set forth in Part I.A of the Permit.
A civil penalty of $2,600 is assessed, of which $2,100 is suspended if the school district fully complies with the CAO.
A copy of the CAO can be found here.
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