The Santa Ana Regional Water Quality Control Board has notified the city of Beaumont of alleged state Water Code violations and assessed $66,000 in mandatory minimum penalties.
The maximum administrative civil liability for the alleged violations, if imposed upon the city of Beaumont, would exceed $3.6 million, according to the Santa Ana Regional Board.
Between June 2006 and January 2011, the city of Beaumont violated its waste discharge requirements 30 times, and was in violation for a total of 366 days, according to a May 10 certified letter from Santa Ana Region Division Chief Robert Holub to Beaumont City Manager Alan Kapanicas.
The alleged violations occurred at the City of Beaumont Wastewater Treatment Plant, 715 W. 4th St., south of Interstate 10 and State Route 60, Kapanicas said Wednesday. It is the only wastewater treatment plant in Beaumont and it serves about 12,000 homes, Kapanicas said.
Aquarion United Water was the contractor at the plant on 4th Street until late last summer, Kapanicas said.
“They were let go in August 2010,” Kapanicas said.
Aquarion United Water was replaced by Utility Partners, the contractor currently running the city’s 4th Street plant, Kapanicas said.
According to an itemized list of the violations, eight “non-serious” violations were not subject to mandatory penalties, but 22 violations were. At $3,000 per violation, the total mandatory penalty was $66,000.
According to Holub, the city of Beaumont has two options: To accept expedited payment by June 1, or to contest and challenge the violations before June 1.
Holub also pointed out the Santa Ana Regional Board can alternatively impose “discretionary administrative civil liability” for the 30 violations, which represent 366 days of violation because some violations involved weekly and monthly limits.
“Consequently, the maximum administrative civil liability in accordance with Section 13385 (c) that may be imposed is $3,660,000 ($10,000 per day of violation), plus an additional assessment of $10 per gallon of effluent discharged during the duration of the violation episode, in excess of the first 100 gallons of effluent,” Holub’s letter states.
Full article published by Guy McCarthy at Beaumont Banning Patch