City of Tyler Agrees to Fine, Extensive Sewer System Upgrades
Posted/updated on: January 18, 2017 at 3:14 pmDALLAS – The U.S. Department of Justice and U.S. Environmental Protection Agency Tuesday announced the city of Tyler agreed to significantly upgrade its sanitary sewer system to resolve alleged violations of the federal Clean Water Act. The city will also undertake extensive operational improvements to its sanitary sewer system and pay a total of $563,000 in civil penalties. DOJ, on behalf of the EPA, and the State of Texas, on behalf of the Texas Commission on Environmental Quality, jointly filed a complaint against the city of Tyler alleging that, since 2005, the city has allowed and continues to allow untreated sewage to overflow from the city’s sanitary sewer system in violation of the CWA and the Texas Water Code.
According to a news release, to comply with the terms of the settlement, the city must comprehensively assess and improve its sewer system’s physical condition by repairing or replacing damaged assets within a certain time period after their discovery. The city must also analyze sewer system capacity using an updated hydraulic model and undertake a tailored program to implement detailed capacity management, operation and maintenance procedures. The settlement, which will be lodged in the U.S. District Court for the Eastern District of Texas, is subject to a federal 30-day public comment period. The State of Texas also has a required 30-day public comment period.