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EPA ORDERS TOWN OF UPTON TO CONDUCT WATER TREATMENT PLANT STUDY

Release Date: 07/02/1996
Contact Information: Alice Kaufman, EPA-New England Press Office; (617) 918-1064

BOSTON---The U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) has ordered the town of Upton, Massachusetts, to submit an engineering study for review by EPA and the Massachusetts Department of Environmental Protection which evaluates the causes of the copper, lead, zinc, and phosphorous discharge violations at the town's wastewater treatment plant. The report will specify corrective measures for bringing the town's facility into compliance with the federal Clean Water Act.
EPA issues National Pollutant Discharge Elimination System ("NPDES") permits for discharge of wastewater into waters of the United States. The Upton treatment plant discharges wastewater into the West River. The town failed to meet new, more stringent federal standards for copper, zinc lead, and phosphorus. EPA is requiring Upton to submit for review the final plan for its proposed upgrade and expansion of the wastewater treatment facility.

This action is part of a larger effort at EPA's New England office to focus enforcement resources on public agencies and other sources of pollution that pose the greatest risk to people and the environment. Other enforcement targets include certain industrial sectors and facilities located in urban environments and sensitive ecosystems. Since September 1, 1995, EPA-New England has taken seven (7) new actions and settled two (2) outstanding enforcement cases against public agencies for violations of environmental regulations.