City of Duluth, Minnesota, and Western Lake Superior Sanitary District Face Charges for Sewer Overflows
WASHINGTON—The city of Duluth, Minn., and the Western Lake Superior Sanitary District have agreed to make improvements to the area’s sewer system, estimated to cost about $130 million, to eliminate sanitary sewer overflows in an agreement filed today in U.S. District Court in Minneapolis, Minn., the Justice Department and U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) announced.
Duluth and the district have also agreed to pay a combined penalty of $400,000 to be equally divided between the United States and the state of Minnesota. The agreement requires that the improvements to the system to eliminate sanitary sewer overflows be in place by 2016.
The city and the district have been charged with violating the Clean Water Act for failing to prevent sanitary sewer overflows, which occurred between 1999 and 2004.
According to EPA, between 1999 and 2004, the city and the district experienced at least 250 sanitary sewer overflows. These overflows resulted in at least 47 million gallons of untreated sewage entering the St. Louis River and Lake Superior.
“Duluth and the sewer district worked with the federal and state governments to agree on a remedial plan and settlement that will protect water quality in the Duluth area without the need for expensive and time-consuming litigation,” said John C. Cruden, Acting Assistant Attorney General for the Justice Department’s Environment and Natural Resources Division.
The Western Lake Superior Sanitary District provides sewer service to 18 communities and services a population of about 130,000. Duluth, with a population of 90,000, is the largest community served by the district.
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Key Facts
- State: Federal
- Category: Environmental Crime|Public Health
- Source: DOJ Press Release â†â€â€
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