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EPA Orders Utilities Inc. to Comply with Clean Water Act at Tega Cay Wastewater Plant

Release Date: 02/20/2014
Contact Information: Davina Marraccini, 404-562-8293 (direct), 404-562-8400 (main), [email protected]

ATLANTA – The U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) has issued a Notice of Violation to Utilities Inc., notifying them of violations observed at the Tega Cay Water Services’ Wastewater Collection and Transmission System (Tega Cay) during a joint inspection with the South Carolina Department of Health and Environmental Control (DHEC) in December 2013.

Tega Cay allowed at least 27 sanitary sewer overflows (SSOs) to occur from Jan. 1, 2013, through Jan. 2, 2014, resulting in 446,350 gallons of untreated sewage being discharged. At least 18 of the SSOs discharged untreated sewage to navigable waters of the United States.

The Notice of Violation requires Tega Cay to follow the compliance dates noted in a related DHEC Consent Order executed on Feb. 3, 2014. EPA will monitor Tega Cay’s progress in developing and implementing written Management, Operations and Maintenance programs, as well as continued rehabilitation and repair of its wastewater treatment plant and associated infrastructure, to address the violations over the next two years.

Until consistent compliance is achieved, Tega Cay is considered to be in violation of the CWA and may be subject to additional enforcement action.

Water pollution degrades surface waters making them unsafe for drinking, fishing, swimming, and other activities. As authorized by the Clean Water Act, the National Pollutant Discharge Elimination System permits are used to regulate the discharge of pollutants into waters of the United States.

More information on the NPDES permit program in the Southeast is available at: https://www.epa.gov/region4/water/permits/index.html

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