Notice of Lodging of Proposed Consent Decree Under the System Unit Resource Protection Act

Primary source

Metadata and text below are from the Federal Register, a public-domain U.S. government work. Always verify the official published version before relying on it for any legal matter.

Published

December 11, 2024

Issuing agencies

Justice Department

Full Text

<html>
<head>
<title>Federal Register, Volume 89 Issue 238 (Wednesday, December 11, 2024)</title>
</head>
<body><pre>
[Federal Register Volume 89, Number 238 (Wednesday, December 11, 2024)]
[Notices]
[Pages 99907-99908]
From the Federal Register Online via the Government Publishing Office [<a href="http://www.gpo.gov">www.gpo.gov</a>]
[FR Doc No: 2024-29126]


-----------------------------------------------------------------------

DEPARTMENT OF JUSTICE


Notice of Lodging of Proposed Consent Decree Under the System 
Unit Resource Protection Act

    On December 6, 2024, the Department of Justice lodged a proposed 
consent decree with the United States District Court for the District 
of Colorado in the lawsuit entitled United States v. Water Supply and 
Storage Company, in personam, and Grand River Ditch, in rem, Civil 
Action No. 1:23-cv-00533-CNS-TPO.
    On February 27, 2023, the United States filed a lawsuit alleging 
that Defendants, Water Supply and Storage Company (``WSSC''), in 
personam, and Grand River Ditch, in rem, are liable for damages and 
response costs under the System Unit Resource Protection Act and that 
WSSC is liable under a March 21, 1907 stipulation between WSSC and the 
U.S. Forest Service regarding operation and maintenance of the Grand 
River Ditch. The verified complaint alleges that on or around June 17, 
2017, a closed culvert/pipe system, which forms part of the Grand River 
Ditch's infrastructure, ruptured, causing substantial water to flow 
into the drainage below in Rocky Mountain National Park and resulting 
in significant damage to natural resources.
    The consent decree requires Defendants to pay the United States 
$2,680,000 in response costs and damages, to enter into an operations 
and maintenance agreement governing management of the Grand River 
Ditch, and to hire a third-party independent consultant to develop a 
comprehensive operations and maintenance plan for the Grand River 
Ditch.
    The publication of this notice opens a period for public comment on 
the consent decree. Comments should be addressed to the Assistant 
Attorney General, Environment and Natural Resources Division, and 
should refer to United States v. Water Supply and Storage Company, in 
personam, and Grand River Ditch, in rem, D.J. Ref. No.

[[Page 99908]]

90-5-1-1-08154/1. All comments must be submitted no later than thirty 
(30) days after the publication date of this notice. Comments may be 
submitted either by email or by mail:

------------------------------------------------------------------------
         To submit comments:                     Send them to:
------------------------------------------------------------------------
By email............................  <a href="/cdn-cgi/l/email-protection#b9c9ccdbdad6d4d4dcd7cd94dcdcca97dcd7cbddf9cccaddd6d397ded6cf"><span class="__cf_email__" data-cfemail="7e0e0b1c1d1113131b100a531b1b0d501b100c1a3e0b0d1a111450191108">[email&#160;protected]</span></a>.
By mail.............................  Assistant Attorney General, U.S.
                                       DOJ--ENRD, P.O. Box 7611,
                                       Washington, DC 20044-7611.
------------------------------------------------------------------------

    Any comments submitted in writing may be filed by the United States 
in whole or in part on the public court docket without notice to the 
commenter.
    During the public comment period, the consent decree may be 
examined and downloaded at this Justice Department website: <a href="https://www.justice.gov/enrd/consent-decrees">https://www.justice.gov/enrd/consent-decrees</a>. If you require assistance 
accessing the consent decree, you may request assistance by email or by 
mail to the addresses provided above for submitting comments.

Jason A. Dunn,
Assistant Section Chief, Environmental Enforcement Section, Environment 
and Natural Resources Division.
[FR Doc. 2024-29126 Filed 12-10-24; 8:45 am]
BILLING CODE 4410-15-P


</pre><script data-cfasync="false" src="/cdn-cgi/scripts/5c5dd728/cloudflare-static/email-decode.min.js"></script></body>
</html>

View on FederalRegister.gov →Plain-text source

Indexed from Federal Register on December 11, 2024.

This is legal information, not legal advice. Laws vary by jurisdiction and change frequently. Always verify current law with official sources and consult a licensed attorney in your jurisdiction for advice on your specific situation.