A VOTE ON A SETTLEMENT REGARDING VIOLATIONS AT SIOUX CITY’S WASTEWATER TREATMENT PLANT OVER A DECADE AGO WILL BE ON NEXT MONDAY’S CITY COUNCIL AGENDA.
BACK IN 2014, TWO FORMER SIOUX CITY EMPLOYEES VIOLATED PROVISIONS OF THE UNITED STATES CLEAN WATER ACT BY FALSIFYING INFORMATION ABOUT WASTEWATER BEING RELEASED FROM OUR CITY’S TREATMENT PLANT INTO THE MISSOURI RIVER.
CHLORINE DOSAGES WERE DRAMATICALLY INCREASED ON DAYS THAT E. COLI SAMPLES WERE TAKEN AND THEN TURNED BACK ONCE THE SAMPLING WAS COMPLETE, A PRACTICE THAT HAD BEEN OCCURRING FOR YEARS.
AFTER NEARLY A DECADE OF REVIEW AND NEGOTIATION, THE CITY, THE IOWA ATTORNEY GENERAL’S OFFICE, AND THE IOWA DEPARTMENT OF NATURAL RESOURCES HAVE AGREED TO RESOLVE THE MATTER WITH A CIVIL PENALTY OF $300,000,
THAT IS SUBSTANTIALLY REDUCED FROM THE PENALTY ORIGINALLY SOUGHT OF MORE THAN $6 MILLION DOLLARS.
THE CONSENT ORDER ALSO OUTLINES A SCHEDULE FOR MAJOR IMPROVEMENTS AT THE WASTEWATER TREATMENT PLANT, MANY OF WHICH THE CITY SAYS ARE ALREADY UNDERWAY OR IN ADVANCED PLANNING STAGES AS PART OF A LONG-TERM FACILITY PLAN.
THESE INCLUDE COMPLETING THE UV DISINFECTION PROJECT BY THIS DECEMBER 31, THE DIGESTION AND HIGH-STRENGTH WASTE PROJECT BY DECEMBER 31, 2027; THE BACON CREEK TRUNK SEWER REPAIR BY DECEMBER 31, 2030; AND PHASE 1 AND PHASE 2 TREATMENT UPGRADES IN 2032 AND 2036.
THE ORDER ALSO REQUIRES AN INDEPENDENT, THIRD-PARTY ENVIRONMENTAL AUDIT.
