← EPA enforcement cases

HAMMOND SD-ROBTSDAL

Judicial · FY1980 · — · Dismissed By Tribunal · 25093

Penalty
Cost recovery
Compliance action

Case

Case Number
05-1980-0055
Type
Judicial
Lead
EPA
Outcome
Dismissed By Tribunal
Multimedia
N
Self-disclosure
N

Defendants (1)

Summary

REGION V HAS REFERRED A PROPOSED CASE AGAINST THE HAMMOND-MUNSTER SANITARY DISTRICT FOR DISCHARGING STORMWATER CONTAMINATED BY SANITARY WASTE INTO LAKE MICHIGAN WITHOUT A PERMIT. THIS DISCHARGE CAUSED POLLUTION OF THE LAKE AND CREATED A FEDERAL COMMON LAW NUISANCE IN THAT IT FORCED THE CLOSING OF CHICAGO'S BEACHES ON NUMEROUS OCCASIONS BETWEEN JULY AND SEPTEMBER 1980. THE HALMMOND-MUNSTER SANITARY DISTRICT IS SUPPOSED TO MAINTAIN COMPLETELY SEPARATE STORMWATER AND SANITARY WASTE SEWER SYSTEMS. THERE ARE, HOWEVER, CONNECTORS BETWEEN THE TWO SYSTEMS AT VARIOUS POINTS, INCLUDING THE ROBERTSDALE PUMPING STATION. THE CONCRETE SEPARATING THE TWO SYSTEMS AT ONE OF THE CONNECTOR POINTS COLLAPSED ALLOWING UNTREATED SANITARY WASTE TO GO DIRECTLY INTO THE ADDITION, THE HAMMOND-MUNSTER SANITARY DISTRICT HAS DELIBERATELY PUMPED SANITARY WASTE TO LAKE MICHIGAN ON VARIOUS OCCASIONS THROUGH A BUTTERFLY VALVE AT THE PUMPING STATION. THE EVIDENCE GATHERED IS SO OVERWHELMING THAT REGION V WILL HAVE NO DIF- FICULTY PROVING ITS CASE.

Source

Authoritative
EPA ECHO
Machine
JSON-LD · Markdown