The U.S. Environmental Protection Agency reached a settlement with two Indiana towns which will require them to improve their local sewer systems and reduce discharges of raw sewage.
According to an April 8 news release, the Sanitary District of Highland and the town of Griffith have agreed to eliminate points in their respective sewer systems that were becoming overloaded. The overflow from these systems was flowing into the Little Calumet River and other local bodies of water. In the settlement with the EPA, Highland has agreed to pay a civil penalty of $175,000, and Griffith will pay a civil penalty of $33,000 for these violations.
"These settlements require meaningful investments that will improve the health of the Little Calumet River and surrounding areas," according to Assistant Attorney General Todd Kim for the Justice Department’s Environment and Natural Resources Division.
The two towns have agreed to increase the amount of wastewater they send to the nearby town of Hammond for treatment and will also spend approximately $100 million to improve their sewer systems.
"These consent decrees are an excellent example of how communities can work together to provide a cleaner healthier environment for the citizens of Northwest Indiana to use and enjoy," Brian Rockensuess, commissioner of the Indiana Department of Environmental Management said, according to the release.
"Highland and Griffith are part of an area of northwest Indiana historically overburdened by pollution," Acting Assistant Administrator Larry Starfield of the EPA’s Office of Enforcement and Compliance Assurance commented in the release. "These infrastructure improvements will prevent untreated sewage from entering the region’s waterbodies, thereby improving water quality as well as the quality of life for the people who live here."
