The U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) has reached a proposed settlement with Synagro Northeast LLC and the City of Woonsocket, R.I. over alleged violations of the Clean Air Act.
The settlement was announced on the EPA website Dec. 15.
Synagro, the operator, and the City of Woonsocket, the owner, of the sewage sludge incineration unit in the city's wastewater treatment facility, will "pay a civil penalty of $373,660 and take measures to bring the facility into compliance with Clean Air Act operating and emission limits designed to reduce the amount of air pollution emitted from the SSI unit," the EPA announcement states.
The Woonsocket Wastewater Treatment Facility processes sewage waste from the city of Woonsocket and several surrounding towns, according to the announcement. The incineration unit reduces the amount of sewage sludge but emits a variety of air pollution in the process, in violation of Clean Air Act regulations enacted in 2016.
"This proposed settlement provides important benefits for communities in and around Woonsocket," EPA New England Acting Regional Administrator Deb Szaro said in the statement. "Historically, urban areas like Woonsocket may have had more air emissions due to industrial and transportation sources. EPA is committed to enforcing environmental laws and addressing Environmental Justice concerns."
The proposed settlement "advances EPA Administrator Michael Regan's direction that EPA strengthen enforcement of environmental statutes in communities disproportionately impacted by pollution, with a special focus on achieving remedies with tangible benefits for the community," the EPA stated in the announcement.
The proposed consent decree, filed Dec. 13 in the U.S. District Court for the District of Rhode Island, is subject to a 30-day public comment period and approval by the federal court, according to the announcement.
