The Arkansas Department of Energy and Environment - Division of Environmental Quality (“DEQ”) and City of Lake Village, Arkansas entered into an October 25th Consent Administrative Order (“CAO”) addressing an alleged violation of the Clean Water Act National Pollutant Discharge Elimination System (“NPDES”) Permit. See LIS No. 24-152.
The CAO provides that Lake Village operates a minor municipal wastewater treatment facility (“Facility”) in Chicot County, Arkansas.
The Facility discharges treated wastewater to Little Lake Bayou, which eventually flows into the Ouachita River. Such discharge is regulated pursuant to a Clean Water Act NPDES Permit.
Part III, Section D, Condition 10 of the NPDES Permit requires Lake Village to submit a complete permit renewal application at least 180 days prior to the expiration date of the NPDES permit if the activity regulated is to continue after the expiration date.
Lake Village intends to operate the Facility beyond the expiration date of the current NPDES Permit – October 31, 2024.
A complete NPDES permit renewal application should have been submitted no later than May 4th. Lake Village has not to-date submitted a complete permit renewal application.
The failure to submit the complete permit renewal application by May 4th constitutes a violation of Part III, Section D, Condition 10 of the NPDES Permit.
The CAO requires that on or before the effective date of the CAO that Lake Village submit an administratively complete permit renewal application. Further, Lake Village is required to comply with the existing NPDES Permit until either the effective date of the permit renewal or the effective date of the permit termination.
A civil penalty of $1,000.00 is assessed, which could have been reduced to $500.00 if the CAO was signed and returned to DEQ within 20 calendar days of its receipt.
A copy of the CAO can be downloaded here.
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