Driggs Fined $400,000 for Clean Water Act Violations, Commits to Major Wastewater Upgrades

In a significant environmental compliance case, the City of Driggs has agreed to a hefty $400,000 penalty for its continuous failure to meet the requirements of the Clean Water Act. This penalty is part of a broader settlement that involves extensive upgrades to its wastewater treatment facilities. This resolution follows a series of non-compliance issues that have persisted since a 2018 agreement with the Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) where Driggs had previously been fined $13,500 for similar violations.

The U.S. Department of Justice, representing the EPA, initiated legal actions against the city after it failed to adhere to earlier commitments, leading to excessive discharges that included ammonia, E. coli, biological oxygen demand, and unbalanced pH levels. These breaches were not only numerous but also posed a severe threat to the local environment and public health.

As part of the settlement, Driggs is tasked with a $25 million overhaul of its wastewater treatment operations, scheduled for completion by December 15, 2028. The planned upgrades are aimed at addressing the chronic issues that have led to these environmental violations. The city must also implement an updated Quality Assurance Plan by March 2025, enhance monitoring of its collection systems, and undertake rigorous sampling of influents and effluents at the treatment plant.

This agreement also mandates the city to submit quarterly reports detailing their progress on the upgrades and compliance with the consent decree, which remains subject to a 30-day public comment period and ultimate judicial approval.

The EPA’s enforcement actions highlight the agency’s commitment to ensuring municipalities adhere to laws designed to protect vital water resources. Ed Kowalski, EPA Region 10 Enforcement and Compliance Assurance Division Director, emphasized the importance of compliance, stating that all communities bear the responsibility to uphold environmental laws crucial for safeguarding shared natural resources.

Related Content:

• Avian Flu Found in U.S. Wastewater Near Farm Animals
• How to Make a Hot Water Heater With Compost
• Richmond Faces Extended Water Outage as Winter Storm Wreaks Havoc
• University of Memphis Fined for Animal Welfare Violations

Easy Ways to Help the Planet:

• Eat Less Meat: Download Food Monster, the largest plant-based Recipe app on the App Store, to help reduce your environmental footprint, save animals and get healthy. You can also buy a hard or soft copy of our favorite vegan cookbooks.
• Adopt-a-Pet: Visit WildWatchers, a watchdog platform specifically designed for animal, earth, and wildlife warriors to actively give back, rescue, and protect animals and the planet.
• Reduce Your Fast Fashion Footprint: Stand against fast fashion Pollution by supporting circular brands like Tiny Rescue, which create cause-based collections using recycled, zero-waste clothing designed to be returned and remade, ensuring it never ends up in a landfill.
• Shop Sustainably for Your Home: Visit SustaiNOBLE.org, an eco-friendly and ethically sourced home decor store that will empower your home with luxurious fair-trade, and sustainable products made by global artisans.
• Support Independent Media: Being publicly funded gives us a greater chance to continue providing you with high-quality content. Please consider supporting us by donating!
• Sign a Petition: Your voice matters! Help turn petitions into victories by signing the latest list of must-sign petitions to help people, animals, and the planet.
• Stay Informed: Keep up with the latest news and important stories involving animals, the environment, sustainable living, food, health, and human interest topics by subscribing to our newsletter!
• Do What You Can: Reduce waste, plant trees, eat local, travel responsibly, reuse stuff, say no to single-use plastics, recycle, vote smart, switch to cold water laundry, divest from fossil fuels, save water, shop wisely, Donate if you can, grow your food, volunteer, conserve energy, compost, and don’t forget about the microplastics and microbeads lurking in common household and personal care products!