![[logo] US EPA](http://www.epa.gov/epafiles/images/logo_epaseal.gif){kind=logo}
City of Cincinnati and Hamilton County, Ohio, Sewer Overflow Settlement
Sewer District could spend more than $450 Million to Fix Antiquated Sewer Discharge Pipes
The Justice Department and the Environmental Protection Agency together with the State of Ohio Attorney General and the Ohio Environmental Protection Agency announced a partial settlement with the Board of Commissioners of Hamilton County and the City of Cincinnati that will set the Metropolitan Sewer District of Greater Cincinnati (MSD) on a course to eliminate long-standing and significant sewage discharges from the sanitary sewer system.
EPA's Administrator Christie Whitman said, "Sanitary sewer overflows are a chronic and growing problem in the country, and pose a severe risk to public health and the environment. Communities must find problems in their sewer systems, and fix or upgrade them to reduce or eliminate SSOs. I'm confident that this settlement will do just that for the citizens of Hamilton County and City of Cincinnati area."
This partial settlement will put the City and County on a enforceable schedule to construct major capital improvement projects to eliminate the worst of their Sanitary Sewer Overflows (SSOs).
The settlement was lodged on February 15, 2002 in U.S. District Court in the Southern District of Ohio and is subject to a 30-day public comment period and final court approval.
- Press Release (02/15/02)
- Interim Consent Decree (PDF) (225.3K, 84 pp) (2/15/02)
- Final Consent Decree (PDF) (6MB, 191 pp) (6/09/04)
- Complaint (PDF) (85.5K, 8 pp)
- First Amendment to Consent Decree (PDF) (383K, 17 pp) (07/28/09)
Enforcement Programs
Enforcement Priorities
- EPA's Clean Water Act National Enforcement Priorities
- Compliance and Enforcement Strategy Addressing Combined Sewer Overflows and Sanitary Sewer Overflows (PDF) (72K, 17 pp)
- Setting Priorities for Addressing Discharges from Separate Sanitary Sewers, March 7, 1996 (PDF) (20K, 9 pp)
- "Enforcement Alert" Newsletter: "EPA Strategically Addressing Raw Sewage Discharges Across Nation to Protect Public,
Environment (PDF)" Volume 6, Number 1 (March 2003) (EPA 300-N-03-001)(101K, 4 pp)
- Enforcement Alert" Newsletter: "EPA Addresses Pollutants in Storm Water Through Systematic Enforcement Strategy (PDF)"
Volume 5, Number 3 (April 2002) (159K, 6 pp)
General Information
For additional information, contact:
Joseph Theis
U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (2243A)
1200 Pennsylvania Avenue, NW
Washington, DC 20460-0001
(202) 564-4053
theis.joseph@epa.govAndrew Cherry
U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (2243A)
1200 Pennsylvania Avenue, NW
Washington, DC 20460-0001
(202) 564-2589
cherry.andrew@epa.gov