http://www.epa.state.oh.us/pic/nr/2005/august/mechanicsburg.html
| For Release: Media Contact: Citizen Contact: |
August 31, 2005 Heather Lauer, (614) 644-2160 Susan Aman, (614) 644-2160 |
Little Darby to Be Cleaner Thanks to Agreement Between
Mechanicsburg, Ohio EPA
Mechanicsburg must upgrade its wastewater treatment plant as part of a recent settlement with Ohio EPA which will minimize impacts to the Little Darby Creek.
Wastewater dischargers must renew their permits every five years. If a permit is not obtained on time, the holder of the expired permit must continue to comply with the terms of the permit. Mechanicsburg's permit expired in August 1993.
The village neither applied on time to renew its permit, nor complied with its old permit. Between October 1998 and April 2003, the village reported 103 violations in which the discharge did not meet clean water requirements. Specifically, the village discharged solids in amounts that formed putrescent sludge deposits and harmed creatures living in the creek. The village also had 251 violations regarding monitoring frequency.
Stream study data collected from Little Darby Creek between 1987 and 2002 identified water quality impacts that were the result of the treatment plant.
The agreement details a study that the village must conduct to determine how to best address the problems at its wastewater plant. The village also must take specific steps to update its permit and maintain its facility.
The village will pay a $7,276 fine, $2,200 will equally benefit Ohio EPA's environmental Education Fund and surface water programs. The remaining $5,076 will go to the Darby Joint Board of Supervisors and will be used to build public support for the Darby Creek watershed, create a Darby Creek watershed database, and establish priorities and time frames to improve water quality within the Darby Creek watershed.
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