US city agrees to settle sewer discharge violations

The US city of Fort Smith has agreed to upgrade its sewer system to reduce discharges of raw sewage and other pollutants into local waterways as part of a settlement of Clean Water Act violations.

As part of the settlement between the US Department of Justice, the US Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) and the state of Arkansas, Fort Smith will improve its sewer collection and treatment system over the next 12 years to reduce discharges.

Improvement of the sewerage system is expected to cost around $255m plus the cost of routine operation and maintenance.

Under the terms of settlement filed in federal court in the Western District of Arkansas, the US city will also pay a $300,000 civil penalty and spend $400,000 on a programme to help low-income areas of the city repair and replace privately owned portions of the sewer network.

EPA’s Office of Enforcement and Compliance Assurance assistant administrator Cynthia Giles said: "This agreement means cleaner water for the residents of Fort Smith by reducing pollution flowing into local waterways."

The Justice Department’s Environment and Natural Resource Division acting assistant attorney general Sam Hirsch said: "This settlement will achieve long-overdue improvements in the city’s sewer system that will substantially reduce the number of sewage discharges and help assure that the citizens of Fort Smith reside in a safe and clean environment."

According to EPA, the agreement settles alleged Clean Water Act violations by the city, which allegedly failed to properly operate and maintain its sewer collection and treatment system.

EPA also added that the city saw around 2,000 discharges of untreated sewage from its municipal sewage system, resulting in more than 119 million gallons of raw sewage flowing into local waterways.

Many of the discharges from the manholes and pump stations occurred in low-income and minority communities.

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Image: Coagulation and flocculation processes at the Lake Fort Smith water treatment plant. Photo: courtesy of Brandonrush.