EPA Opens Registration for Campus RainWorks Design Challenge Competition

Press release:

EPA Opens Registration for Campus RainWorks Design Challenge Competition

Contact Information: Davina Marraccini (News Media Only), (404) 562-8293, marraccini.davina@epa.gov

(ATLANTA – Sept. 6, 2012) The U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) has opened registration for student teams from colleges and universities across the country to participate in its new design competition, the Campus RainWorks Challenge, through which teams will compete to develop innovative approaches to stormwater management. This first annual competition, will help raise awareness of green design and planning approaches at colleges and universities, and train the next generation of landscape architects, planners, and engineers in green infrastructure principles and design. Stormwater is a major cause of harmful water pollution in urban areas in the U.S., impacting tens of thousands of miles of rivers, streams, and coastal shorelines, as well as hundreds of thousands of acres of lakes, reservoirs, and ponds.

Student teams, working with a faculty advisor, will submit design plans for a proposed green infrastructure project for their campus. Registration for the Campus RainWorks Challenge is open from September 4 through October 5, and entries must be submitted by December 14, 2012 for consideration. Winning entries will be selected by EPA and announced in April 2013. Winning teams will earn a cash prize of $1,500 - $2,500, as well as $8,000 - $11,000 in funds for their faculty advisor to conduct research on green infrastructure. In 2013, EPA plans to expand Campus RainWorks by inviting students to design and complete a demonstration project assessing innovative green infrastructure approaches on their campus.

EPA is encouraging the use of green infrastructure as a solution to help manage stormwater runoff. Green Infrastructure uses vegetation, soils, and natural processes to manage stormwater runoff at its source and provide other community benefits. Green infrastructure is increasingly being used to supplement or substitute for single-purpose “gray” infrastructure investments such as pipes, and ponds. The Campus RainWorks Challenge will help encourage the use of green infrastructure projects on college and university campuses to manage stormwater discharges.

More information on the Campus RainWorks Challenge:

http://water.epa.gov/infrastructure/greeninfrastructure/crw_challenge.cfm

International Builder and DC-based Subsidiary Agree to Pay $270,000 to Settle Stormwater Violations at Construction Sites

Press release:

International Builder and DC-based Subsidiary Agree to Pay $270,000

to Settle Stormwater Violations at Construction Sites

 

(PHILADELPHIA, August 29, 2012) Turner Construction Co., an international builder based in New York City, and its subsidiary Tompkins Builders, Inc. of Washington, D.C., have agreed to pay $270,000 in civil penalties for alleged violations of federal stormwater regulations at construction sites throughout the mid-Atlantic region, the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency announced today.    

On August 27, 2012 EPA filed two Consent Agreements and Final Orders alleging that Turner and Tompkins violated their Clean Water Act permits allowing for the discharge of stormwater from construction sites, and in other instances discharged construction stormwater without permits. The alleged violations occurred at 17 construction sites the companies operated in Maryland, Virginia, Pennsylvania and Washington, D.C. Fifteen of these sites are located in the Chesapeake Bay watershed and two are in the Delaware River watershed (see attached list of construction sites).

Turner and Tompkins operated these sites for clients including federal and local governments, the Department of Defense, universities and other organizations. A construction project at Prince George’s Community College Center for Health Studies is among them, in which case unfiltered basin water flowed, absent a permit, to the storm sewer system that discharges to the Western Branch of the Patuxent River.

In the mid-Atlantic region, Virginia, Maryland, and Pennsylvania are authorized to issue CWA stormwater permits with oversight from EPA; stormwater permits in the District of Columbia are issued by EPA.

In general, the permits in this case required the companies to install controls to prevent pollutants, such as sediment, debris, and chemicals, from being discharged in stormwater into nearby waterways. These controls may include common-sense safeguards such as silt fences, phased site grading and sediment basins to prevent construction contaminants from polluting waterways.

EPA’s complaint includes allegations that at various sites the companies failed to:

•     Perform or properly document required site inspections;
•     Maintain structures and controls designed to prevent polluted stormwater from reaching streams; and,
•     Obtain CWA Permits prior to beginning construction.  

EPA worked closely with state and local environmental agencies to detect and resolve these violations. State and local personnel conducted numerous field inspections, and the agencies shared technical and legal expertise. EPA required Turner and Tompkins to provide extensive documentation concerning their construction activities at numerous locations.
In addition to paying civil penalties, Turner and Tompkins entered into an earlier settlement requiring the companies to implement a program to assure future compliance with federal construction stormwater requirements.
As part of the settlement, the companies did not admit liability for the alleged violations. To view a copy of the consent agreement http://www.epa.gov/reg3wapd/npdes/enforcement.html.

To learn more about EPA’s stormwater management program, http://www.epa.gov/npdes/stormwater.

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Turner/Tompkins Construction Sites where stormwater violations occurred:

Facilities Covered	Facility Address
Sustainment Center for Excellence	Corner of Lee Avenue and A Avenue, Fort Lee, VA 23801
Langley Air Force Base Hospital Addition	63 Pine Road, Langley Air Force Base, VA 23665
Warrenton Training Center, Station C Firing Range	Summerduck Road, Remmington, VA
Building B-70 Warrenton Training Center	Bearwallow Road, Warrenton VA
D.C. Youth Center, Laurel, MD	8100 Main Ave, Laurel, Md 20724
Hershey Expansion Project	Hershey, PA
Martin Luther King Memorial	Ind Avenue, and West Basin Drive, SW, Washington, DC 20001
Fort Belvoir Community Hospital	Building R1450, 9025 Richmond Hwy, Fort Belvoir 22314
Prince George’s Community College Center for Health Studies	301 Hay Road, Largo, MD 20774
TRADOC Headquarters	Murphy Field, Fort Eustis, VA 23604
Franklin & Marshall University Race Street Parking Lot	415 Harrisburg Avenue, Lancaster, PA 17603
Army National Guard Readiness Center	111 S George Mason Dr., Arlington, VA 22204
Drexel University Integrated Sciences Building	33rd and Chestnut St, Philadelphia, PA 19104
FDA Consolidation at White Oak – Buildings 31 & 32	10903 New Hampshire Avenue, Silver Spring, MD 20993
Penn Park Complex	299 South 30th St. Philadelphia, PA 19104
Salamander Resort and Spa	23325 Foxcroft Rd, Middleburg, VA 20117
C4ISR Center for Excellence	2201 Averdeen Blvd. Aberdeen Proving Ground, MD 21010

EPA and Baltimore's CNX Marine Terminals, Inc. Settle Water and Waste Violations

Press release:

EPA and Baltimore's CNX Marine Terminals, Inc. Settle Water and Waste Violations

PHILADELPHIA (August 23, 2012) -- CNX Marine Terminals, Inc. has agreed to pay a $34,600 penalty to settle alleged violations of federal environmental laws involving the discharge of pollutants in stormwater runoff, the operation and maintenance of underground storage tank systems and waste storage, the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency announced today. The alleged violations were at the CNX terminal at 3800 New Gate Ave., Baltimore, Md.

According to the consent agreement and final order, the specific alleged violations include unauthorized stormwater discharges from a pipe into the Janney Run Creek, failure to properly operate and maintain the release detection system on a 2,000-gallon underground storage tank, failure to conduct a line tightness test on the underground storage tank every three years, and failure to properly store used fluorescent lamps.

The $34,600 settlement penalty reflects the cooperation of CNX Marine Terminals with EPA's investigation.

Uncontrolled stormwater runoff often contains sediment, suspended solids, oxygen-demanding compounds and other pollutants that can harm our nation's waterways. Under the Clean Water Act, facilities must obtain permits issued by EPA or the state environmental agency before discharging stormwater runoff into waterways. These permits include requirements for erosion and sediment controls and precautionary best management practices such as spill prevention safeguards, material storage, and employee training.

Underground storage tanks (UST) must be tested to prevent leaks because the greatest potential threat from a leaking UST is contamination of groundwater, the source of drinking water for nearly half of all Americans. These leaks can threaten public safety and health as well as the environment because UST systems contain hazardous and toxic chemicals. Cleaning up petroleum leaks is difficult and usually expensive. Federal regulations ensure that USTs are structurally sound because it is easier and less costly to prevent leaks before they happen.

SETTLEMENT REQUIRES BOSTON WATER AND SEWER COMMISSION TO REMEDY SEWER AND STORMWATER DISCHARGES

News Release

U.S. Department of Justice

U.S. Environmental Protection Agency

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE  

THURSDAY, AUGUST 23, 2012      

DOJ (202) 514-2007                    
EPA (617) 918-1017

SETTLEMENT REQUIRES BOSTON WATER AND SEWER COMMISSION TO REMEDY SEWER AND STORMWATER DISCHARGES

WASHINGTON -- Under the terms of a consent decree lodged in federal court today, the Boston Water and Sewer Commission (BWSC) will implement extensive remedial measures to minimize the discharge of sewage and other pollutants into the water bodies in and around Boston, the Department of Justice and the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency announced today.  The BWSC will also pay a civil penalty of $235,000 for violations of the Clean Water Act and will perform a supplemental environmental project worth at least $160,000.

The work required under this consent decree will significantly reduce remaining pollution sources discharging into and degrading water quality in Boston Harbor. The consent decree is the result of a federal enforcement action brought by the Department of Justice on behalf of the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA), and by the Conservation Law Foundation (CLF), which filed the original complaint in the case and was an active plaintiff in the case.

“This settlement will require BWSC to take specific steps to significantly reduce discharges from its storm drain and sanitary sewer systems that have contributed pollutants to Boston Harbor and its tributaries,” said Ignacia S. Moreno, Assistant Attorney General for the Environment and Natural Resources Division of the Department of Justice.  “This settlement will produce lasting benefits for the people of Boston, incorporating green infrastructure, low impact development, and other controls that will help reduce harmful discharges and protect the environment.” 

  “Together with our co-plaintiff CLF, we were able to progress from litigation to a settlement that is both comprehensive in its scope and stringent in its requirements and deadlines,” said Carmen Ortiz, U.S. Attorney for the District of Massachusetts.  “I am pleased that the BWSC is prepared to be proactive by taking a broad range of actions to minimize the pollutants in its stormwater discharges to Boston’s rivers, streams and harbor.”

  “This settlement represents a critical next-step in the ongoing cleanup of Boston Harbor and its associated urban rivers,” said Curt Spalding, regional administrator of EPA’s New England region. “Over the past decades there’s been a remarkable transformation as Boston Harbor and local waterways have been cleaned up, thanks to work by government at all levels and environmental advocates. Under this settlement, the City of Boston will use green infrastructure and low-impact techniques to control pollutants being discharged in its stormwater to local beaches, rivers and streams, benefiting all residents of Boston who enjoy outdoor recreation in the Hub.”

Water sampling conducted by EPA indicated untreated sanitary sewage discharging from numerous BWSC stormwater outfalls.  In response, the consent decree establishes an aggressive schedule for BWSC to investigate the sources of sewage being discharged from BWSC’s storm drains.  The BWSC will first complete its investigations of drainage areas discharging to Constitution, Tenean and Malibu beaches.  BWSC will prioritize the rest of the investigations according to the sensitivity of receiving waters and evidence of sewage.  The agreement also requires BWSC to remove all identified sources of sewage as expeditiously as possible.  In addition, the settlement requires BWSC to conduct frequent and enhanced monitoring (in both dry and wet weather) of its stormwater outfalls.

The consent decree also requires BWSC to control pollutants other than sewage, such as phosphorus and metals, being discharged from its storm drain system.  To accomplish this goal, BWSC will conduct stormwater modeling and implement appropriate Best Management Practices (BMPs) to control stormwater discharges.  In evaluating BMPs, the consent decree requires BWSC to implement Green Infrastructure and Low Impact Development (GI/LID) techniques wherever possible.  These types of techniques involve the use of natural or engineered systems to direct stormwater to areas where it can be stored, infiltrated, evapotranspirated or reused.

While some of the studies and planning required by the settlement will take several years to complete, the agreement also requires BWSC to initiate GI/LID demonstration projects in East Boston’s Central Square, Audubon Circle in the Kenmore/Fenway area of the city, and at City Hall Plaza on an expedited schedule.

Finally, the settlement requires the establishment of construction and industrial inspection programs necessary to meet the requirements of BWSC’s Municipal Separate Storm Sewer System (MS4) permit.
To settle the case, BWSC has also committed to implement a supplemental environmental project to address leakage from private sewer laterals.   BWSC has determined that a number of sewer lines connecting buildings to the BWSC sewage system (laterals) are leaking sewage from cracks in the laterals into the BWSC’s storm drains.  BWSC will line a minimum of 25 private sewer laterals that have been identified as sources of sewage to its storm drains.

The complaints filed by CLF and the United States alleged violations of the Clean Water Act involving the discharge of raw sewage and other pollutants to surface waters near heavily used recreation areas, such as Constitution Beach and Tenean Beach in Boston Harbor, as well as to the Charles, Mystic and Neponset Rivers.  According to the allegations, these discharges have occurred through both illegal sewer connections to the BWSC storm drain system and sanitary sewer overflows that discharge to the BWSC storm drain system or directly to local surface waters.

The complaints also alleged that BWSC violated conditions of its MS4 permit regarding the implementation of its Illicit Discharge Detection and Elimination Program, discharged pollutants in stormwater that violated water quality standards, and failed to develop and implement a number of programs required by the permit, including a program to inspect stormwater controls at construction sites throughout the city of Boston.

The consent decree, lodged in the U.S. District Court for the District of Massachusetts, is subject to a 30-day public comment period and approval by the federal court.  Once it is published in the Federal Register, a copy of the consent decree will be available on the Justice Department Web site at www.usdoj.gov/enrd/Consent_Decrees.html.

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Clean Water Act Settlement Ensures That Boston Racetrack Addresses Wastewater and Stormwater Discharges

Press release:

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
August 22, 2012

Clean Water Act Settlement Ensures That Boston Racetrack Addresses Wastewater and Stormwater Discharges

WASHINGTON – U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) and the U.S. Department of Justice announced that Sterling Suffolk Racecourse LLC will pay a civil penalty of $1.25 million to resolve violations of the Clean Water Act (CWA) at its Suffolk Downs racetrack facility in Revere and East Boston, Mass. The company is also spending more than $3 million to prevent polluted water from entering nearby waterways and will perform three environmental projects worth approximately $742,000 that will provide water quality monitoring and protection efforts for more than 123 square miles of watershed. The terms of the settlement are contained in a consent decree lodged in federal court in Boston today.

The federal complaint alleges that Suffolk allowed polluted wastewater, including horse manure, urine and bedding material, to discharge into Sales Creek, a tributary of Belle Isle Inlet and Boston Harbor. In addition, the federal complaint alleges that Suffolk operated its concentrated animal feeding operation (CAFO), which stables race horses from March through November, without a permit under the CWA.

“This settlement reduces a major source of pollution into Boston Harbor,” said Cynthia Giles, assistant administrator for EPA’s Office of Enforcement and Compliance Assurance. “In addition, the settlement’s environmental projects include monitoring water quality in the harbor’s watershed, helping to protect a valuable urban waterway for the use and enjoyment of Boston area residents and visitors.”

“Today’s agreement will prevent further discharges of wastewater from Suffolk Downs into local waterways and will bring the racetrack into compliance with the Clean Water Act, which protects America’s streams, wetlands and rivers from the impacts of Concentrated Animal Feeding Operations,” said Ignacia S. Moreno, assistant attorney general of the Environment and Natural Resources Division of the Department of Justice. “The settlement also brings lasting benefits to residents and the environment by requiring water quality monitoring in the Mystic and Saugus river watersheds and a salt marsh habitat protection project near the racetrack.”

In response to EPA’s enforcement at this facility, Suffolk is completing construction of a wastewater collection system, is making improvements to its stormwater collection system and has applied for a National Pollutant Discharge Elimination System (NPDES) permit. Suffolk will minimize the volume of and properly manage the wastewater it produces, which will now be collected in a detention pond and discharged during non-peak hours to the sanitary sewer system. Suffolk will also implement green infrastructure and low impact development techniques to address stormwater discharges from the racetrack and maintenance areas of the facility. These techniques involve the use of natural or engineered systems to direct stormwater to areas where it can be stored, infiltrated, evapotranspirated, or reused.

EPA inspections revealed that Suffolk Down’s process wastewater discharged from the facility to Sales Creek during dry and wet weather. EPA inspectors observed stormwater contaminated with manure and turbid, brown runoff being discharged from the facility to Sales Creek. Sampling conducted at various outfalls discharging from the Suffolk Downs facility indicated elevated levels of pollutants, including ammonia, suspended solids and bacteria. Animal wastes contain excessive levels of nutrients and pathogens, which produce adverse environmental impacts including reduction of oxygen in the water, which affects aquatic life.

Suffolk will undertake three supplemental environmental projects under this settlement, including two water quality monitoring projects and one habitat protection project. Suffolk will work with the Mystic River Watershed Association (MyRWA) to conduct monthly baseline and targeted water quality sampling throughout the Mystic River watershed and will work with the Saugus River Watershed Council (SRWC) to conduct a Saugus River watershed sampling program. Both the Mystic River watershed and Saugus River watershed data will be available to the public for free on the MyRWA and SRWC websites. Suffolk will also construct a habitat protection boardwalk in the Belle Isle Marsh, which is immediately downstream of the Suffolk Downs facility and represents one of the largest remaining areas of salt marsh in Boston Harbor. The Belle Isle Marsh encompasses 275 acres of salt marsh, salt meadow, and tidal flats, and is part of the Rumney Marsh Area of Critical Environmental Concern (ACEC).

Preventing animal waste from contaminating surface and ground waters of the United States is one of EPA’s National Enforcement Initiatives for 2011-2013.The initiative focuses on large and medium sized CAFOs that are discharging pollution without or in violation of a permit.

The consent decree is subject to a 30-day public comment period and approval by the federal court.

More information: http://www.epa.gov/compliance/resources/cases/civil/cwa/sterlingsuffolk.html


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U.S. Attorney and EPA Announce Settlement with City of Fitchburg

Press release:

News Release
U.S. Environmental Protection Agency
New England Regional Office
August 15, 2012

 Contacts: Paula Haschig, 617-918-1027 (EPA)
                Christine DiIorio-Sterling, 617- 748-3356 (US Attorney’s Office)

U.S. Attorney and EPA Announce Settlement with City of Fitchburg
Settlement Ensures that Fitchburg Addresses Wastewater and Storm Water Discharges

(Boston, Mass.—August 15, 2012) Under the terms of a Consent Decree lodged in federal court, the City of Fitchburg, Mass. will pay a civil penalty of $141,000 for violations of the Clean Water Act.   The City will also perform a Supplemental Environmental Project worth at least $100,000 and is implementing significant remedial measures to minimize future discharges of pollutants into the environment.

The Consent Decree is the result of a federal enforcement action brought by the U.S. Department of Justice, on behalf of the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency and the Office of the Attorney General of Massachusetts on behalf of the Mass. Department of Environmental Protection.  The complaint alleges that Fitchburg violated conditions of its permit controlling combined sewer overflows, bypassed wastewater flows around its secondary treatment system, violated numeric effluent limits on hundreds of occasions, and discharged untreated overflows from the collection system without permit authorization. 

United States Attorney Carmen Ortiz said, “the federal Clean Water Act was established to ensure that everyone is committed to making our rivers and streams safe and healthy for our children and future generations.  I am pleased that The City of Fitchburg is dedicating itself to achieving this goal by agreeing to today’s Consent Decree, ensuring that the Nashua River is not left behind.”                       

“This settlement ensures that a major source of pollution to the Nashua River will be controlled,” said Curt Spalding, regional administrator of EPA’s New England region.  “It is satisfying that the City will build upon the progress it has already made in restoring the River, once again making it accessible for safe recreation.” 

The Consent Decree to resolve the enforcement action imposes a schedule for addressing the City’s collection system and waste water treatment plant deficiencies.  It identifies specific combined system projects to prevent and control combined sewer overflows from significant portions of the City’s Collection System.  The City will also be required to establish a Collection System operations and maintenance program to overcome systemic neglect of the Collection System.  Similarly, the City will be required to develop operational changes and system upgrades to enable the City to comply with all of its permit limits. 

Preventing sewage from contaminating surface and ground waters of the United States is one of EPA’s National Enforcement Initiatives.  The initiative continues EPA’s focus on municipal collection systems that are undersized or deteriorating.  Municipal wastewater presents significant health threats to those using contaminated waters for recreational use and downstream drinking water systems.

More information: The Consent Decree, lodged in the U.S. District Court for the District of Massachusetts, is subject to a 30-day public comment period and approval by the federal court.  Once it is published in the Federal Register, a copy of the consent decree will be available on the Justice Department Web site at http://www.usdoj.gov/enrd/Consent_Decrees.html

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$70,000 in Green Infrastructure Technical Assistance to Omaha, Neb.

Press release:

U.S. Environmental Protection Agency, Region 7

901 N. Fifth St., Kansas City, KS 66101

Iowa, Kansas, Missouri, Nebraska, and Nine Tribal Nations

$70,000 in Green Infrastructure Technical Assistance to Omaha, Neb.

Contact Information: Kris Lancaster, (913) 551-7557, lancaster.kris@epa.gov (news media only)

Environmental News

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE

(Kansas City, Kan., July 19, 2012) – EPA is providing $70,000 in technical assistance to the City of Omaha, Neb., for development of tools that will encourage incorporation of green infrastructure into community improvement projects.

“Green infrastructure provides many community benefits including the reduction of stormwater runoff, neighborhood revitalization and reduction of pollutants in local streams,” said Karl Brooks, regional administrator. “The technical assistance will support work such as a review of city codes and ordinances to identify barriers to green infrastructure and recommend appropriate revisions as needed.”

Stormwater is one of the most widespread challenges to water quality. Large volumes of polluted stormwater degrade our nation’s rivers, lakes and aquatic habitats and contribute to downstream flooding. Green infrastructure decreases pollution to local waters by treating rain where it falls and helps to keep polluted stormwater from entering sewer systems.

Nationally, EPA is providing $950,000 in technical assistance to help 17 cities expand the use of green infrastructure to improve water quality and benefit communities. Effective green infrastructure tools and techniques include rain gardens, vegetated swales, wetlands, green roofs, and permeable pavement. Communities are increasingly using green infrastructure to supplement or substitute for traditional infrastructure investments such as pipes, filters, and ponds.

# # #

US and Tennessee Announce Clean Water Act Agreement With the City Of Chattanooga

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASEJuly 17, 2012


US and Tennessee Announce Clean Water Act Agreement With the City Of Chattanooga
WASHINGTON – The U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA), the Department of Justice, the Tennessee Department of Environment and Conservation and the Office of the Tennessee Attorney General announced today a comprehensive Clean Water Act settlement with the city of Chattanooga, Tenn. Chattanooga has agreed to pay a $476,400 civil penalty and make improvements to its sewer systems, estimated by the city at $250 million, to eliminate unauthorized overflows of untreated raw sewage. Chattanooga also has agreed to implement a green infrastructure plan and perform an $800,000 stream restoration project.  
“The EPA is working with communities across the country to address sewage overflows that impact the health of residents and impair local water quality,” said Cynthia Giles, assistant administrator for the EPA’s Office of Enforcement and Compliance Assurance. “Today’s agreement with the city of Chattanooga will rehabilitate their aging sewer system and promote innovative green infrastructure efforts to reduce stormwater runoff, while increasing green space in communities.” 

“Chattanooga residents will enjoy public health and environmental benefits for years to come as a result of the improvements required by this settlement agreement. The agreement prioritizes neighborhood sewer rehabilitation projects and utilizes innovative stormwater controls in the urban core, reducing sewer overflows and overall reducing threats to public health posed by untreated sewage,” said Ignacia S. Moreno, assistant attorney general for the Justice Department’s Environment and Natural Resources Division. “This is another example of how we are working toward the goal of clean water for all communities through the vigorous enforcement of the Clean Water Act throughout the United States.”
A consent decree, filed today in U.S. District Court for the Eastern District of Tennessee in Chattanooga, represents the combined efforts of the United States and the state of Tennessee, co-plaintiffs in this settlement, and of the Tennessee Clean Water Network, a citizens’ plaintiff in this action.  The consent decree resolves claims for injunctive relief and civil penalties for Chattanooga’s alleged violations of the Clean Water Act and the Tennessee Water Quality Control Act.
The proposed consent decree will require Chattanooga to comprehensively assess and rehabilitate its entire sewer collection system to eliminate overflows of untreated raw sewage. Specifically, Chattanooga will perform rehabilitation projects to address known problems within the collection system; implement programs to ensure proper management, operation and maintenance of its sewer systems; and install additional controls on the Chattanooga Creek combined sewer outfalls to ensure compliance with water quality standards.
Prior to finalizing the proposed consent decree, the city, along with EPA and the Tennessee Department of Environment and Conservation, held two public meetings to provide information regarding the sewer system and to seek community input regarding the impact that sewer overflows were having in the community. 
Chattanooga has also agreed to perform a stream restoration supplemental environmental project at a cost of $800,000 in the 3800 Block of Agawela Drive, to restore the stream and stabilize the banks of a tributary of the South Chickamauga Creek and eliminate a significant source of sediment and solids to the creek. Half of the civil penalty will be paid to the United States.  At the direction of the state, the other half of the civil penalty will be paid by Chattanooga through the performance of green infrastructure demonstration projects in the historic downtown Highland Park neighborhood to, among other things, improve water quality in the Dobbs Branch stream, which flows into Chattanooga Creek. Green infrastructure involves the use of soils, vegetation and natural processes to store, infiltrate and evaporate storm water to prevent it from getting into the sewer system.

Keeping raw sewage and contaminated stormwater out of the waters of the United States is one of the EPA’s national enforcement initiatives for 2011 to 2013. The initiative focuses on reducing sewer overflows, which can present a significant threat to human health and the environment. These reductions are accomplished by obtaining commitments from municipalities to implement timely, affordable solutions to these problems, including the increased use of green infrastructure and other innovative approaches.

The United States has reached similar agreements with municipalities across the country, including the following in the Southeast: Mobile and Jefferson County (Birmingham), Ala.; Atlanta and Dekalb County, Ga.; Knoxville and Nashville, Tenn.; Miami-Dade County, Fla.; and Northern Kentucky Sanitation District #1 and Louisville, Ky.
The proposed consent decree with Chattanooga is subject to a 30-day public comment period and final court approval before becoming effective. 

More information about the settlement:
http://www.epa.gov/compliance/resources/cases/civil/cwa/cityofchattanooga.html


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EPA Launches Competition for College Students to Develop Innovative Approaches to Stormwater Management

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE

May 16, 2012

EPA Launches Competition for College Students to Develop Innovative Approaches to Stormwater Management

WASHINGTON – The U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) is launching a new design competition called the Campus RainWorks Challenge to encourage student teams on college and university campuses across the country to develop innovative approaches to stormwater management. Stormwater is a major cause of water pollution in urban areas in the U.S., impacting the health of people across the country as well as tens of thousands of miles of rivers, streams, and coastal shorelines, and hundreds of thousands of acres of lakes, reservoirs, and ponds. The competition will help raise awareness of green design and planning approaches at colleges and universities, and train the next generation of landscape architects, planners, and engineers in green infrastructure principles and design.

Student teams, working with a faculty advisor, will submit design plans for a proposed green infrastructure project for their campus. Registration for the Campus RainWorks Challenge opens September 4, and entries must be submitted by December 14, 2012 for consideration. Winning entries will be selected by EPA and announced in April 2013. Winning teams will earn a cash prize of $1,500 - $2,500, as well as $8,000 - $11,000 in funds for their faculty advisor to conduct research on green infrastructure. In 2013, EPA plans to expand Campus RainWorks by inviting students to design and complete a demonstration project assessing innovative green infrastructure approaches on their campus.

“Reducing stormwater pollution requires innovative approaches and America’s college students are incredibly creative and talented,” said Nancy Stoner, acting assistant administrator for EPA’s Office of Water. “The Campus RainWorks Challenge will engage students across the country in tackling one of the toughest challenges to clean water and show them the opportunities in environmental careers.”

EPA is encouraging the use of green infrastructure as a solution to help manage stormwater runoff. Green Infrastructure uses vegetation, soils, and natural processes to manage stormwater runoff at its source and provide other community benefits, including economic development.. Green infrastructure is increasingly being used to supplement or substitute for single-purpose “gray” infrastructure investments such as pipes, and ponds. The Campus RainWorks Challenge will help encourage the use of green infrastructure projects on college and university campuses to manage stormwater discharges.

More information on the Campus RainWorks Challenge:

http://water.epa.gov/infrastructure/greeninfrastructure/crw_challenge.cfm

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Proposed Storm Water Permit Incorporates Low Impact Development

News release from EPA Region 10:


EPA’s Proposed Stormwater Permit for JBLM Incorporates Low Impact Development to Protect Puget Sound

(Seattle – January 31, 2012) Due to its size, population and proximity to Puget Sound, Joint Base Lewis-McChord has received a proposed Municipal Stormwater discharge permit from the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency. The permit, when final, is expected to help guide how stormwater is managed across nearly 142 square miles of base property over the next decade and beyond.

Located just south of Tacoma, JBLM is recognized as the largest military installation on the West Coast. The most recent population estimate for the base was 95,000 people, including military personnel, military dependants residing on base, civilian employees, and visitors.

"JBLM plays a vital role in our national security and the regional economy," said Mike Bussell, Director of EPA’s office of Water and Watersheds in Seattle. "So we designed this new permit to help them accomplish their mission of providing a safe, healthy community for those who serve our country, while reducing the storm water pollution threat to base streams, lakes and Puget Sound."

Stormwater (surface runoff from rain and snow melt) is recognized as a major source of pollution to the Puget Sound. Commercial and housing development alters the land’s natural ability to absorb and evaporate rainfall. Expanding impervious surfaces (like roads and roofs) then converge with a growing population to produce more vehicle related pollution that settles on those surfaces. When it rains, it all runs off into lakes, rivers, streams and ultimately the Puget Sound.

EPA’s draft municipal separate storm sewer system (MS4) permit for JBLM is the first such proposed permit for a military or other federal facility in western Washington. The draft permit requires specific actions and activities that must be accomplished over at least the next five years to protect local waters.

JBLM has been implementing a stormwater program for several years in anticipation of receiving a permit from EPA. Among the new requirements under the proposed permit, the base must control runoff from all construction sites; control runoff from all new development and redevelopment sites; map, inspect, and maintain the storm system, and engage JBLM employees and the community about preventing pollutants in storm water runoff.

Due to its proximity to Puget Sound, the Base permit also requires:

• stormwater runoff from redevelopment and new projects must meet performance standards through use of Low Impact Development (LID) techniques and, if needed, traditional stormwater features (detention ponds);
• a new construction project threshold of 5,000 square feet or greater;
• a program to reduce runoff from the existing developed areas;
• a biological stream health monitoring program using aquatic insects in Clover and Murray Creeks.

EPA’s proposed permit requires LID practices such as rain gardens, permeable pavement, native vegetation areas, and green roofs to avoid or lessen the reliance on traditional stormwater pipes and ponds. By using LID, a larger portion of rainfall will be intercepted, infiltrated, evaporated, or reused to avoid excess runoff. These actions will help maintain or restore a more natural stream flow throughout the year, replenish groundwater, and help protect fish and other aquatic organisms. It will also reduce the influx of pollutants washed into the streams, creeks and lakes on the base or into Puget Sound.

EPA will hold a public meeting to discuss the permit on:

Monday, March 19, 2012

Lakewood Library

6300 Wildaire Road Southwest

Lakewood, Washington 98499

6:00 pm open house & 6:30 – 8:00 pm public meeting

Comments on the Draft Permit Will Be Accepted through March 30, 2012

Send or e-mail comments by March 30, 2012 to:

EPA Region 10

Office of Water and Watersheds, OWW-130

Attn: NPDES Stormwater – JBLM

1200 Sixth Avenue, Suite 900

Seattle, WA 98101

or via email to the following address: vakoc.misha@epa.gov

After the comment period ends EPA will consider and respond to all comments, and make any necessary changes to the draft permit. The Washington Department of Ecology will also consider certifying the permit in accordance with Section 401 of the Clean Water Act. The EPA Director of the Office of Water & Watersheds will then make a final decision about permit issuance.

For a copy of the Draft Permit:


http://yosemite.epa.gov/R10/WATER.NSF/stormwater/homehttp://yosemite.epa.gov/r10/water.nsf/npdes+public+notices/jblm-ms4-pn-2011

For more about how EPA works to protect water quality from stormwater in the Pacific Northwest: 

http://www.epa.gov/region10/stormwater