PWSA sentenced to pay $500,000 and serve 3 years probation for violating federal environmental law
Pittsburgh Water and Sewer Authority has been sentenced in federal court to three years’ probation and ordered to pay $500,000 after being convicted of violating the Clean Water Act, authorities announced.
U.S. District Judge William S. Stickman IV imposed the sentence, which also forces PWSA to implement a comprehensive environmental compliance program using the aforementioned funds.
RELATED: PWSA enters plea for pumping sludge into Allegheny River
Authorities said the Pittsburgh Water and Sewer Authority violated its national pollutant discharge elimination system permit when it discharged sludge into the Allegheny River on various occasions between 2010 and 2017.
The sewer authority also violated its industrial user permit by supplying ALCOSAN with false information about the amount of sludge it was shipping to ALCOSAN’s treatment facility.
Authorities said PSWA estimated numbers instead of using actual numbers after meters measuring the flow of sludge to the waste management treatment facility became inoperable.
The Pittsburgh Water and Sewer Authority has also agreed to hire an environmental compliance manager and take additional steps to ensure that it will follow state and federal environmental laws and regulations, federal officials said.
Michael DiVittorio is a TribLive reporter covering general news in Western Pennsylvania, with a penchant for festivals and food. He can be reached at mdivittorio@triblive.com.
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