The Department of Environmental Quality announced today that a settlement has been reached with the Village of Dexter to resolve violations of Michigan's water quality protection laws and the Village's National Pollutant Discharge Elimination System Permit.

The Village owns and operates a wastewater treatment plant that was cited with permit violations including effluent limitation exceedances dating back to January 2005, inadequate operation and maintenance practices, and intentionally bypassing portions of its wastewater treatment system.

The Administrative Consent Order that was agreed upon by both parties requires Dexter to complete construction of a 400,000 gallon equalization basin by December 2011 that will provide additional system capacity, as well as have an approvable Operation and Maintenance Plan for the basin in place by January 2012. In addition, Dexter has agreed to pay $4,600.71 for partial compensation of enforcement costs and a civil fine of $16,000.

"The DEQ and the Village of Dexter worked cooperatively to resolve the existing violations and agree to a long-term solution for their system," said DEQ Director Steven E. Chester. "This resolution will result in better protection of public health and the environment for the community of Dexter."

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 September 22, 2008 by Pat Watson