Jan. 18, 2002 -- The town of Greenwich has proposed a consent degree in connection with its violations of the Clean Water Act and other regulations.
Under the proposed deal, the town will pay a civil penalty of $285,000 to the United States government and the State of Connecticut, plus it will evaluate and rehabilitate its wastewater collection, storage and transmission system.
The consent degree resulted from a lawsuit brought by the Connecticut Department of Environmental Protection and the U.S. EPA following sewage spills in Greenwich that tainted Long Island Sound, the Greenwich Time newspaper reported.
Sewer line breaks have allowed millions of gallons of untreated sewage to flow into the Sound several times.
A 62-year-old sewer pipe collapsed near the central Greenwich railroad station in 1998, spilling about 2 million gallons of sewage into Greenwich Harbor. Two years later, a pipe ruptured that crosses the Mianus River, spilling another 2 million gallons, the complaint said.
Two studies have already been launched of the Greenwich sewer system which was built in the 1920s. CDM is conducting a study of the system in an assessment that will cost about $650,000. The Maguire Group is analyzing the town's force mains in a study that will cost about $200,000, the Greenwich Time reported.
Greenwich has about $7 million set aside to upgrade four major pump stations and to replace a section of the sewer line in the Mianus River.
The town also is spending about $4.5 million to upgrade its four main pump stations.
Town representatives said they had been planning to do some upgrades for a few years, but the settlement will move up the deadlines. They now plan on finishing the upgrades within six years.
The Justice Department will receive comments on the proposal until Jan. 27.
Comments should be addressed to the Assistant Attorney General, Environment and Natural Resource Division, United States Department of Justice, Washington, DC 20530, and should refer to United States v. Town of Greenwich, No. 01-CV-2424 (D. Conn.), and DOJ Reference No. 90-5-1-1-06717.
For a copy of the decree, visit the Office of the United States Attorney for the District of Connecticut, 157 Church St., 23rd floor, New Haven, Connecticut 06510 (203-821-3700) or the U.S. EPA (Region 1), One Congress Street, Boston, MA 02114 (contact Karen McGuire in the Office of Regional Counsel).
A copy of the proposed consent decree may be obtained by mail from the Consent Decree Library, PO Box 7611, Washington, DC 20044. In requesting a copy, please refer to the referenced case and DOJ Reference Number and enclose a check in the amount of $20.75 (with attachments) or $8.50 (without attachments) (83 pages with attachments or 34 pages without attachments at 25 cents per page reproduction costs), made payable to the Consent Decree Library.
To read the Greenwich Time newspaper's story on the case, visit http://www.greenwichtime.com/news/local/scn-gt-pollution1jan16.story.
