November 19, 2007

Department of Environmental Quality Director Steven E. Chester announced that the department has entered into an Administrative Consent Order with the Village of Vernon, located in Shiawassee County, to resolve civil violations occurring at the Village's Wastewater Stabilization Lagoon. These violations include multiple unauthorized discharges of wastewater to Holly Drain, and multiple failures to submit Discharge Monitoring Reports.

"The permits issued by the department are intended to protect the surface water of the state of Michigan," said Director Chester. "When permit requirements are violated, the DEQ is obligated to take appropriate actions to ensure water quality is preserved and our environment protected."

The Consent Order entered between the DEQ and the village resolves the violations and requires the village to pay a civil fine in the amount of $20,000 and reimburse the DEQ for enforcement costs. As part of the compliance program contained in the consent order, the village has agreed to evaluate the lagoon's capacity, submit a written report to the DEQ of the findings and repair any deficiencies and capacity problems identified within this report, evaluate and repair the concrete structure valves within each lagoon cell, and evaluate the impact of the lagoon on groundwater and surface water due to leakage from the lagoon cells and repair the lagoon's liner, if necessary.

Editor's note: DEQ news releases are available on the department's Internet home page at www.michigan.gov/deq.

"Protecting Michigan's Environment, Ensuring Michigan's Future"

Revised November 19, 2007 by Pat Watson