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The Arkansas Department of Energy and Environment - Division of Environmental Quality (“DEQ”) and City of Patterson, Arkansas entered into a March 10th Consent Administrative Order (“CAO”) addressing alleged violations of the Clean Water Act National Pollutant Discharge Elimination System (“NPDES”) permit. See LIS No. 25-021.
The CAO provides that Patterson operates a municipal wastewater treatment facility in Woodruff County, Arkansas.
The facility is stated to discharge treated wastewater to the Cache River which eventually flows to the White River. Such discharge is regulated to an NPDES permit.
The NPDES permit requires Patterson to submit a complete permit renewal application at least 180 prior to the expiration date of the permit if the activity that is regulated is to continue after the expiration date. Patterson intends to operate the facility beyond the expiration date.
Patterson submitted an NPDES permit renewal application on December 13, 2024. On December 17, 2024, DEQ notified Patterson that the application was determined to be incomplete. To date, Patterson has not submitted a complete renewal application.
Because the NPDES permit renewal application was not received by August 4, 2024, this constitutes a violation of Part III.D.10 of the NPDES permit.
The CAO requires that Patterson submit an administratively complete permit renewal application on the effective date of the CAO. Further, a civil penalty of $1,000.00 is assessed, which could have been reduced by one-half if the document was signed and returned to DEQ within 20 calendar days of its receipt.
A copy of the CAO can be downloaded here.
