The U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) has finalized an Administrative Order on Consent with the California Department of Corrections and Rehabilitation concerning Clean Water Act violations at the California Men’s Colony wastewater treatment plant in San Luis Obispo, California. The order addresses unauthorized discharges of filter backwash water into Chorro Reservoir.
“This order ensures that the California Men’s Colony treatment plant will take action to prevent further unauthorized discharges into Chorro Reservoir and protect against the contamination of the state’s water resources,” said EPA Pacific Southwest Regional Administrator Martha Guzman. “With our state partners, we will continue to enforce compliance with the Clean Water Act, thereby protecting our public health and environment.”
This marks the second such agreement between the EPA and the California Department of Corrections and Rehabilitation within a year. In September 2023, both entities entered into a separate Administrative Order on Consent to address other Clean Water Act violations at the same facility. Those previous violations included discharges from the prison’s wastewater treatment system that exceeded permitted pollutant limits and unpermitted discharges from its drinking water distribution system.
Filter backwash discharges to Chorro Reservoir ranged from approximately 35,000 to 70,000 gallons per day during discharge events and contained pollutants such as chlorine and sediment. Under this new order, the California Men’s Colony is required to submit a compliance plan for EPA approval detailing how it will cease unlawful filter backwash discharges into Chorro Reservoir, dispose of filter backwash fluids, and manage filter backwash sludge. Upon EPA approval, this plan will become an enforceable part of the Administrative Order on Consent.
For more information about reporting possible violations of environmental laws and regulations, visit EPA's enforcement reporting website.
