CSPA has settled a Clean Water Act lawsuit against the City of Redding for violations of the federal discharge permits for the Clear Creek and Stillwater wastewater treatment facilities and the municipal stormwater system. Specifically, the lawsuit alleged that the city allowed unpermitted discharges of raw or partially treated sewage from the sewage collection system into waters of the United States.
The settlement agreement obligates Redding to comply fully with the Clean Water Act, assess the conditions of sewer system, develop a root control program, implement a number of capital improvement projects by July 2015 and meet a target of no more than three spills per 100 miles of sewer pipes per year. The agreement incorporates provisions that allow CSPA to return to court for enforcement if pollutant benchmarks continue to be exceeded.
As mitigation for past violations, Redding agreed to send $45,000 to the Rose Foundation for a Better Environment to fund environmental projects to improve water quality. They also agreed to reimburse CSPA’s costs of bringing suit. Lawyers for Clean Water represented CSPA in this matter.