News Releases from Region 01
Jaffrey, N.H. Facility to Upgrade its Wastewater Treatment Systems Under Clean Water Act Settlement
BOSTON - Under the terms of a Consent Decree lodged in federal court, EMD Millipore Corp. of Jaffrey, N.H., will upgrade its on-site wastewater treatment system to comply with the terms of the company's industrial wastewater discharge permit and prevent pretreatment violations of the federal Clean Water Act (CWA). The company will also pay a civil penalty of $385,000 for alleged violations of the CWA.
EMD Millipore operates an industrial manufacturing facility in Jaffrey, N.H. that produces water filtration devices. The facility operates an on-site wastewater treatment system that introduces wastewaters into the Jaffrey publicly owned treatment works (POTW) through a dedicated pipe. The facility's wastewaters contain pollutants including ammonia, total suspended solids, hydrogen ion concentration (pH), and oxygen demanding pollutants such as biochemical oxygen demand. The settlement resolves numerous allegations of Clean Water Act pretreatment violations, including pass through and interference violations at the Jaffrey POTW.
The Consent Decree requires EMD Millipore to upgrade the facility's wastewater treatment system to achieve compliance with the federal pretreatment regulations and the facility's industrial wastewater discharge permit. The company must also comply with certain interim wastewater management requirements. Finally, EMD Millipore must provide annual training to individuals at the facility who are responsible for CWA compliance and perform wastewater sampling and analysis, and submit quarterly reports to EPA, to ensure compliance with the Consent Decree and the CWA.
The Consent Decree is the result of a federal enforcement action brought by the U.S. Department of Justice, on behalf of the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency.
More information:
The Consent Decree, lodged in the U.S. District Court for the District of New Hampshire, is subject to a 30-day public comment period and approval by the federal court. Once it is published in the Federal Register, a copy of the consent decree will be available on the Justice Department Web site at http://www.usdoj.gov/enrd/Consent_Decrees.html.