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EPA Working with State, County and Local Governments To Correct Sewer Problems in Allegheny County

Release Date: 2/19/2002
Contact Information: Roy Seneca, (215) 814-5567

Roy Seneca, (215) 814-5567

PHILADELPHIA – The U.S. Environmental Protection Agency is asking the 83 local governments in the Allegheny County Sanitary Authority (ALCOSAN) service area to sign a unique consent agreement that will begin a lengthy process to clean up the illegal discharge of billions of gallons of sewage into local waterways.

“This strategy represents a common sense, cost-effective approach to wet weather problems in Allegheny County. It’s a collaborative effort with partnerships of federal, state, county and local governments,” said Thomas C. Voltaggio, deputy regional administrator for EPA’s mid-Atlantic region.

The use of voluntary agreements offers municipalities a positive alternative to traditional enforcement procedures that would involve litigation, fines and penalties for past violations. By signing voluntary agreements with local regulators – the Allegheny County Health Department and the Pennsylvania Department of Environmental Protection – municipalities agree to maintain sewers.

Under the agreement, municipalities will inspect their sewage collection systems and make repairs identified by the inspection. They will also agree to monitor the flow in the sewers and agree to work with ALCOSAN and the other municipalities/sewer authorities in their basin groups to identify controls needed to bring the collection system into compliance with the Clean Water Act.

Each year, an estimated 16 billion gallons of raw sewage are discharged from hundreds of outfalls in the region’s sewage collection system to local waterways in the Pittsburgh area. Discharges carry dangerous bacteria into waterways where people boat, swim and wade, and from which a large portion of the region’s drinking water is drawn. The federal Clean Water Act prohibits such discharges unless they are in compliance with the terms of a permit, including water quality requirements. Thus, in addition to impacting the quality of life in the Allegheny County region, these discharges are illegal.

The consent agreement strategy was developed by EPA, Pennsylvania Department of Environmental Protection and the Allegheny County Health Department. EPA has mailed draft copies of the agreements to all 83 ALCOSAN municipalities. The letters will be followed up with a question and answer session.

EPA encourages local and state action to resolve violations of the Clean Water Act and supports the actions by the county and state to address violations. If a municipality decides not enter into the applicable agreement, or does not comply with the agreement once entered, EPA may pursue its traditional enforcement mechanisms, including fines and penalties.