CSPA Advisory

CSPA Advisory June 1, 2010 

CSPA Sues City of Chico Municipal Airport

By Bill Jennings, CSPA Executive Director
June 1, 2010 -- CSPA filed a lawsuit against the City of Chico for massive violations of the federal Clean Water Act and the state's General Industrial Stormwater Permit. The facility is a 1,079-municipal airport in Chico California. Stormwater from the facility discharges pollutants to Sycamore Creek and ultimately to the Sacramento River and the Sacramento-San Joaquin Delta.

The lawsuit alleges that wastes discharged from the facility egregiously exceed allowable standards and benchmarks for pollutants, including oil and grease. It further alleges the facility has failed to: 1) develop and implement standard Best Available and Best Conventional Treatment Technologies, 2) develop and implement an adequate Stormwater Pollution Prevention Plan, 3) develop and implement an adequate Monitoring and Reporting Program and 4) truthfully certify its annual reports.

The action asks the court to: 1) declare the Chico Airport to be in violation of the law; 2) enjoin defendants from discharging pollutants to surface waters and from further violating the substantive and procedural requirements of the permit; and 3) order defendants to immediately implement pollution control and treatment technologies, comply with monitoring and reporting requirements, prepare a legally adequate stormwater pollution plan, take appropriate actions to restore the quality of waters impaired by their its activities, pay civil penalties for each day of violation and reimburse CSPA the costs of bringing the complaint.

The Law Offices of Andrew Packard and Jackson & Tuerck are representing CSPA in this matter.

Read the lawsuit.