The Department of Environmental Protection Monday announced it has reached a proposed consent decree with Waste Treatment Corporation that addresses adverse impacts to the Allegheny River caused by the company’s treatment and discharge of drilling operation wastewater.

The proposed consent decree must go through a 30-day public comment period before Commonwealth Court’s final approval.

DEP conducted biological surveys in 2012, which indicated that the discharge from Waste Treatment Corporation’s plant at 341 West Harmar St. in Warren was harming the river’s water quality and biological community.

As proposed, the consent decree requires Waste Treatment to submit the necessary permit application to the department for the installation of additional wastewater treatment that will achieve applicable effluent limitations, including total dissolved solids and chlorides of 500 mg/l and 250 mg/l, respectively. The additional treatment must be installed and have achieved all of the other requirements in the consent decree by January 1, 2016.

The proposed consent decree also requires Waste Treatment to verify, through biological surveys, that the additional treatment is successful in restoring the water quality and biological community of the Allegheny River.

The department is now accepting written comments regarding this proposed consent decree with Waste Treatment Corporation.

A notice of the formal comment period will be published in the November 23, 2013, edition of the Pennsylvania Bulletin (page 6985). The public comment period will end on December 23, 2013.

Anyone wishing to obtain a copy of the proposed consent decree may do so by contacting DEP’s Northwest Regional Office at 230 Chestnut St., Meadville, PA 16335 or by telephone at 814-332-6942. 

Written comments may be submitted within the 30-day comment period to DEP’s regional Clean Water Program at the same address.

After the close of the 30-day public comment period, the department will file responses to the comments that it received. The department and Waste Treatment will then file a Joint Motion requesting that the Pennsylvania Commonwealth Court approve the entry of the consent decree, which will become final upon the court's approval and entry of the decree.

For more information, call 814-332-6945.

NewsClips:

DEP: Drilling Wastewater Plant Must Stop Untreated Discharges

DEP Reduces Drilling Wastewater Plant Discharges

12/2/2013