LIBERTY – The US Environmental Protection Agency has issued an administrative compliance order to the Town of Liberty for its violation of the Clean Water Act regarding treated effluent from the Swan Lake Sewage Treatment Plant.
The town has a state DEC permit to discharge treated sewage into the West Branch Mongaup River, a tributary connected to the Mongaup River that flows into the Delaware River.
The EPA cited the town for its failure to have a preventative/corrective maintenance program and written operations and maintenance procedures for its sanitary sewer system, as required by its state-issued permit.
The federal agency also said Liberty does not have enforcement procedures to enforce its sewer use law and to control discharge. “As the time of the inspection, the plant operator stated that the town does not have the means to conduct enforcement actions against known violators throughout the town,” the EPA report stated.
The agency ordered the town to meet certain provisions of the Clean Water Act. By February 1, 2024, the town must develop and submit enforcement procedures to be implemented throughout the town to ensure it can control discharges into the sewer system.
It must also meet that date to develop and submit to the EPA and State DEC, written operations and maintenance procedures for its sanitary sewer system.
