NORA SPRINGS, Iowa — Nov. 11, 2015 — The city of Nora Springs was fined $6,000 by the Iowa Department of Natural Resources (DNR) for violating effluent limits set in its wastewater permit, according to the Globe Gazette.
City officials are also required to build a new wastewater plant by October 2020, noted the article.
The DNR action follows violations dating back to 2010, the agency said. During an inspection in November 2010, it observed a sewage fungus – indicative of inadequately treated wastewater – located below the plant’s discharge pipe in the Shell Rock River, stated the article.
Additional effluent violations occurred between January and June 2012, the city was told, reported the article. Then in November that year, officials confirmed that the plant could meet the ammonia limits in its wastewater permit – only to suffer numerous ammonia effluent violations afterwards.
There was also a violation as recently as September of this year.
In April 2014, officials admitted that the wastewater plant was out of date and did not meet the requirements of the city’s current wastewater permit, shared the article. At the time, they said they were exploring various funding options for improvements.
Responding to the DNR notice, Nora Springs City Administrator Deb Gaul said the city recently hired a contractor to make those improvements. Officials are working with the DNR to see if the fine can be reduced, she added in the article.
You can find the entire article here.
