EPA v. HAMMOND SANITARY DISTRICT

Case summary

THERE HAVE BEEN A BROAD RANGE OF EFFULENT-RELATED VIOLATIONS FROM AT LEAST 1985 UNTIL THE PRESENT TIME AT THE COLUMBIA AVE PLANT. THESE INCLUDE VIOLATIONS OF NATIONAL POLLUTANT DISCHARGE ELIMINATION SYSTEM PERMIT LIMITS FOR BIOCHEMICAL OXYGEN DEMAND, SUSPENDED SOLIDS, FECAL COLIFORM, TOTAL RESI- DUAL CHLORINE, DISSOLVED OXYGEN, OIL AND GREASE, A NUMBER OF METALS, AMMONIA NITROGEN, AND PHENOLS. IN SHORT, ESSENTIAL- LY ALL POLLUTANT PARAMETERS LIMITED IN THE PERMIT. - THE HAMMOND TREATMENT PLANT AN SEWER SYSTEM HAVE BEEN THE SOURCE OF NUMEROUS DRY WEATHER BYPASSES AND COMBINED SEWER OVERFLOWS FROM AT LEAST 1985 UNTIL THE PRESENT. - THE SUM AND SUBSTANCES OF THESE TWO BASIC, ENVIRONMENTAL PROBLEMS HAS LED TO THE SEVERE DEGRADATION OF THE GRAND AND LITTLE CALUMET RIVERS. - A COMPLICATING FACTOR, WITH RESPECT TO THE DRY WEATHER BYPASSING, HAS BEEN THAT A NUMBER OF PLANT IMPROVEMENTS THAT HAVE BEEN UNDERTAKEN WITHIN THE LAST SEVERAL YEARS DID NOT TAKE THESE FLOWS INTO CONSIDERATION WHEN THE IMPROVEMENTS WERE DESIGNED. AS A RESULT, THE COLUMBIA AVE. PLANT MAY BE UNDERSIZED, AND NOT CAPABLE OF FULLY TREATING ALL INCOMING FLOWS TO THE PLANT. - REGION V RECOMMENDS THE IMMEDIATE FILING OF THE ATTACHED COMPLAINT THAT SEEKS COMPLIANCE WITH THE CLEAN WATER ACT AND ALL PERMITS LIMITATIONS, THE CESSATION OF ALL DRY WEATHER BYPASSING ANC COMBINED SEWER DISCHARGES, AND THE CONSTRUC- TION OF NEW TREATMENT PROCESSES TO FULLY ACCOMMODATE ALL IN- COMING FLOWS TO THE COLUMBIA AVE. PLANT.

Defendants (3)

• COLUMBIA AVENUE WASTEWATERNamed in complaint
• HAMMOND, CITY OFNamed in complaint
• MUNSTER, TOWN OFNamed in complaint

Facilities (1)

• SANITARY DISTRICT OF HAMMOND

  5143 COLUMBIA AVENUE, HAMMOND, IN, 46320

  Registry ID: 110020660578

Statutes cited

• CWA 309 — Violation of Existing AO

Timeline (5 milestones)

• 1988-11-01Enforcement Action Data Entered
• 1988-11-18Referred To Dept Of Justice
• 1992-01-31Complaint Filed With Court
• 1992-06-30Concluded
• 1992-06-30Enforcement Action Closed