Senate Confirms Bush Nominee To Head EPA Water Office

The U.S. Senate has confirmed George Tracy Mehan III to head the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) Office of Water. Mehan, who had been director of the Office of Great Lakes in the Michigan Department of Environmental Quality since 1993, was associate deputy administrator of EPA from 1992 to 1993, serving as assistant to former EPA Deputy Administrator Hank Habicht. He was Director of the Missouri Department of Natural Resources from 1989 to 1992. Mehan is a graduate of St. Louis (Mo.) University and St. Louis University Law School.

Mehan is highly regarded by environmental groups, and respected by industry for his willingness to work with market forces to achieve environmental goals. Mehan has said he will target nonpoint sources of pollution as his top priority at EPA. He hopes to emphasize economic incentives and voluntary measures to address the problem, but has said he would not rule out new regulations to control sources of nonpoint pollution. Among the tools available are total maximum daily loads (TMDLs), which set strict discharge limits on water bodies so they meet their water quality standards. That rule was recently put on hold at the request of EPA Administrator Christine Todd Whitman.

City Settles with EPAfor Discharge ViolationsThe U.S. Environmental Protection Agency has settled a case against the city of Fitchburg, MA, for violating its federal permit to operate a wastewater treatment plant by discharging wastewater during dry weather from the city's combined sewer collection system into the North Nashua River.

On a number of occasions prior to 2001, untreated wastewater from the city's combined sewer overflow regulators and discharge pipes flowed into the river during periods of dry weather. Although the exact volume of the discharges is not known, they lasted in duration anywhere from 30 minutes to three and a half hours. These discharges were reported to EPA by the city.

EPA in April proposed a penalty of $137,000 for these violations. In a compromise settlement, the city will pay a penalty of $65,000 and complete two supplemental environmental projects costing at least $44,000. The first will be an analysis of the impact the dry weather discharges from the combined sewer overflows had on the North Nashua River. The second requires the city to investigate, inventory and address pipes illicitly connected to the sewer collection system.

U.S. Settles Suit Over Delaware Storm SewerThe United States, New Castle County and the Delaware Department of Transportation (DelDOT) have proposed a settlement of the federal government's lawsuit over New Castle County, DE, storm sewer systems.

In its suit, the U.S. alleged that New Castle County and DelDOT failed to obtain a required Clean Water Act permit for their storm sewer systems. In the settlement, the defendants agreed to pay a $275,000 penalty and comply with the permit issued by the Delaware Department of Natural Resources and Environmental Control on May 1. The permit requires them to carry out a storm water management program to reduce contaminated runoff.

Missouri Man Pleads to Clean Water Act ChargesGary L. Smith, owner of Warren County Water and Sewer District in Warren County, Mo., has pleaded guilty to charges that he violated the Clean Water Act. Smith intentionally allowed raw sewage to be discharged into Incline Village Lake, a recreational-use lake. When sentenced, Smith faces a maximum sentence of up to three years in prison and/or up to $250,000 in fines. The case was investigated by EPA's Criminal Investigation Division and the EPA National Enforcement Investigations Center and is being prosecuted by the U.S. Attorney's Office in St. Louis, Mo. WW/