Fish Kill Results in Violation Notice to Carol Stream Waste Treatment Plant

Springfield, Ill. -- A Violation Notice letter, the first step in formal enforcement proceedings, has been sent to the village of Carol Stream by the Illinois Environmental Protection Agency as the result of a Sept. 6 release of 1.1 million gallons of partially treated sewage into Kline Creek. More than 750 fish were killed, as well as much of the macroinvertebrate (snails, worms, etc.) population of the stream, which is also known locally as Klein Creek.

The village will have 45 days from receipt of the letter to respond with an enforceable plan for addressing each of the specified violations to prevent a re-occurrence. The letter also advises the village that, because of the nature and seriousness of the violations, further enforcement action may be required that could include imposition of statutory penalties and fines. Illinois regulations allow for fines up to $10,000 per day for each violation.

The letter also gives notice to the village that it will be liable for payment of the value of the dead fish and investigation expenses incurred by the Department of Natural Resources. That department investigates fish kills to determine numbers and types of fish killed and sets a dollar value on them.

The Agency was contacted on Sept. 7 by a citizen who reported seeing dead fish in the creek. The initial investigators from the IEPA found the creek grayish in color and with a septic odor. The impacted area of the stream extended from the treatment plant to the point where the creek enters the west branch of the DuPage River.

Plant personnel reported that equipment that should have pumped waste to secondary treatment had failed in early afternoon on Sept. 6. The waste, that had received only preliminary treatment to remove solids and grit, was discharged into the stream. The release was compounded by the failure of an alarm that should have notified operators of the problem.

The violation notice letter specifically identifies five violations of state environmental regulations relating to the fish kill, including the kill itself, the discharge of partially treated sewage to the creek, failure to provide proper operation and maintenance of the plant, failure to provide an operating alarm system, and violations of effluent quality limits set out in the National Pollutant Discharge Elimination System permit issued to Carol Stream by the IEPA.