NUMEROUS PUMP STATIONS IN THE PRASA SYSTEM ARE DISCHARGING RAW, UNTREATED SEWAGE INTO NAVIGABLE WATERS. THIS REPRESENTS AN ILLEGAL DISCHARGE WITHOUT A PERMIT AS WELL AS VIOLATION OF PERMIT OF WWTP TO WHICH THE PUMP STATION IS APPURTANENT. THREE PROPOSED DEFENDANTS, 16 FACILITIES(PUMP STATIONS 2 WWTP PERMITS FOR THE STATIONS).
The Defendant's Pump Stations often fail, causing frequent and extensive raw sewage overflows throughout the island of Puerto Rico.
The U.S. Department of Justice, on EPA's behalf, filed a federal civil action against the Defendants for egregious violations of the Clean Water Act and/or conditions in its respective National Pollutant Discharge Elimination System (NPDES) permits. EPA is alleging the Defendant's systemic and egregious failure to properly operate and maintain its approximately 600 pump stations warrants island-wide injunctive relief and the assessment of civil penalties against PRASA.
The CD contains the following provisions: A proposed list of those pump stations in critical conditions requiring remedial actions and the submittal by Defendants of a schedule for completion of same (Group A Pump Stations); Implementation of the system wide O&M plan requested by EPA, which will be applicable to all Pump Stations across the Commonwealth, to be developed and implemented by Defendant and its operator in phases; Ondeo will be responsible for this future relief; Defendants shall draft and submit to EPA for a