The U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) has issued a complaint against the Albuquerque Bernalillo County Water Utility Authority (ABCWUA) for violations of the Clean Water Act. EPA’s complaint includes a proposed penalty at $134,000.
The complaint covers violations of the water authority’s wastewater discharge permit. EPA inspectors found ABCWUA experienced several sanitary sewer overflows and exceeded its permit limit for the amount of
E. Coli bacteria in the discharged effluent. ABCWUA was also cited for discharging about six million gallons of sewage into the Rio Grande on February 27, 2015.
In late March, EPA issued administrative orders to ABCWUA to correct these violations. ABCWUA has an opportunity to pursue a settlement with EPA regarding the proposed penalty.
EPA’s National Pollutant Discharge Elimination System (NPDES) regulates point sources of water pollution. The Clean Water Act requires facilities such as wastewater treatment plants to obtain an NPDES permit and abide by the pollutant discharge limits set in their permit.