On January 17, the US Environmental Protection Agency announced an Administrative Order on Consent with the City of Corry and its municipal authority requiring them to correct federal Clean Water Act permit violations at their wastewater treatment plant.

The City and Authority are planning to construct a new wastewater treatment plant that will meet their Clean Water Act permit requirements.

The existing Facility currently provides wastewater treatment for a population of approximately 6,000-8,000 people within and surrounding the City of Corry, Erie County and is designed to treat and discharge up to 3.5 million gallons of wastewater per day to Hare Creek. 

Hare Creek is a tributary of Brokenstraw Creek and the Allegheny River.

The City and the Authority were cited for several Clean Water Act violations, including failing to comply with the effluent limits contained in the Facility’s National Pollutant Discharge Elimination System (NPDES) permit and discharging more pollutants than permissible to Hare Creek.

Pursuant to the Administrative Order on Consent, the City and the Authority have agreed to (1) develop and implement a corrective action plan containing short-term measures to improve the operations at the current wastewater treatment plant, and (2) subsequently construct a new wastewater treatment plant and related facilities, at an estimated cost of $40 million, in accordance with their Act 537 Plan which was recently approved by the Pennsylvania Department of Environmental Protection  in November 2024.

The new wastewater treatment plant will have increased hydraulic and organic treatment capacities.

The City and the Authority are seeking Pennsylvania Infrastructure Investment Authority  funding-- through grant funds if available, or low-interest loan funds, to the extent necessary-- for the project.

Once PADEP issues the necessary permits and the construction financing is obtained, the actual construction of the new wastewater treatment plant is expected to take approximately two  years.

The EPA pursued this action because continued violations without corrective action posed the potential for harm to aquatic life, as the excessive discharges of pollutants included fecal coliform bacteria, suspended solids, copper, and Bis(2-ethylhexyl) phthalate. 

The Facility is located in a community with potential Environmental Justice concerns.

The Clean Water Act regulates certain discharges of pollutants from point sources, including wastewater treatment plants, through NPDES permits. 

These permits contain limits on what types of pollutants can be discharged by the facility and at what acceptable levels in order to ensure water quality is protected.

Click Here for a copy of the Administrative Order on Consent.

Click Here for a copy of EPA’s announcement.

NewsClip:

-- Erie Times: Corry To Build $40 Million Wastewater Treatment Plant To Reduce Pollutants Discharged In Hare Creek

[Posted: January 17, 2025]

1/20/2025