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NPDES Permits and Stormwater
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Compliance and Enforcement
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Regional Links
The National Pollution Discharge Elimination System (NPDES) Compliance and Enforcement Program of the Clean Water Act, regulates point source discharges to the nation's waters. NPDES permits can be issued to individual dischargers or can be issued for a group of dischargers (i.e., general permits). Both individual and general permits contain requirements for controlling pollutant dischargers, monitoring discharges, reporting compliance.
Wet Weather Programs are sub-components of the NPDES program, and address wet weather discharges such as runoff from rainfall or snowmelts, and include the following programs: Storm Water Program, Sanitary Sewer Overflow (SSOs) Program, Combined Sewer Overflow (CSOs) Program, and Concentrated Animal Feeding Operations (CAFOs) Program.
Program evaluations of Municipal Separate Stormwater Sewer Systems (MS4) are being conducted to determine permittee compliance with NPDES permit requirements and to evaluate the implementation status of EPA's stormwater regulations. The program evaluations are also being conducted to evaluate the overall effectiveness of the MS4 program. The program reports do not represent a formal finding of violation.
Orders and Decrees on this Page
- British Petroleum & MYD, American Samoa
- East Bay Municipal Utility District, Stipulated Order
- Findings of Violation Issued to U.S. Navy for Naval Base Guam
- Chino Dairies
- Marin County Sewage Collection Systems, Administrative Orders
- City of San Diego, California Sewage Collection System, Final Consent Decree
- Sausalito-Marin City Sanitary District, Administrative Order
- City and County of Honolulu's Sewage Collection System, Stipulated Order
- James Pflueger, Consent Decree
- Seven-Up/RC Bottling Company, Consent Decree
British Petroleum, MYD - American Samoa
- British Petroleum-Southwest Inspection Report (PDF) (16 pp, 226K)
- British Petroleum-Southwest Administrative Order (PDF) (14 pp, 114K)
- MYD Samoa Inspection Report (PDF) (22 pp, 368K)
- MYD Samoa Administrative Order (PDF) (15 pp, 141K)
East Bay Municipal Utility District, Stipulated Order
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Agreement between the Federal government (EPA and the Department of Justice), the State of California, the Regional Water Quality Control Board, and East Bay Municipal Utility District to address inadequately treated wastewater discharges to San Francisco Bay.
Findings of Violation Issued to U.S. Navy for Naval Base Guam
On 24 November 2008 the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency issued Findings of Violation to the U.S. Navy for permit violations under the federal Clean Water Act at Naval Base Guam. In July, EPA inspectors discovered the violations during inspections covering several different federal environmental statutes and programs.
The Findings of Violation cited discharges from the Navy's Apra Harbor Wastewater Treatment Plant that exceeded water quality permit limits, and several unpermitted discharges to the Namo River during the repair of the Navy's Fena Water Treatment Plant. The Navy also did not fully or properly implement controls for stormwater discharges from industrial activities located on the base, and three Navy construction sites on the base did not have proper stormwater pollution measures.
- USN Naval Base Guam Findings of Violation (PDF) (14 pp, 657K)
- USN Naval Base Guam Findings of Violation Exhibits 1-6 (PDF) (32 pp, 2.9M)
- USN Naval Base Guam Findings of Violation Letter (PDF) (3 pp, 122K)
Chino Dairies
Brothers Three Dairy Administrative Order (PDF) (7 pp, 35K)
Quality Dairy Administrative Order (PDF) (7 pp, 35K)
TLC Sonlight Dairy Administrative Order (PDF) (7 pp, 34K)
Martin Vander Laan Dairy Administrative Order (PDF) (6 pp, 30K)
Jorritsma Anema Dairy Administrative Order (PDF) (7 pp, 35K)
Goyenetche Dairy Administrative Order (PDF) (7 pp, 34K)
Administrative Orders Issued for Marin County Sewage Collection Systems
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The U.S. Environmental Protection Agency today issued enforcement actions requiring nine sewage collection systems in the Sausalito and Mill Valley areas of southern Marin County, Calif. to address chronic sewage spills, improve sewer maintenance and implement long-term programs to renew aging sewer pipes. The deteriorated condition of the sewer systems became evident in January 2008 when heavy rains overwhelmed the systems resulting in large spills to Richardson Bay and San Francisco Bay.
The EPA enforcement orders were issued to the cities and sanitary districts that convey wastewater to the sewage treatment plants operated by the Sewerage Agency of Southern Marin in Mill Valley and the Sausalito-Marin City Sanitary District at Fort Baker.
Adminstrative Order (amended) for Sewerage Agency of Southern Marin (PDF) (31 pp, 1.8M)
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Adminstrative Order for Sausalito-Marin City Sanitary District - Amended (PDF) (34 pp, 1.5M)
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Deteriorated conditions of the sewer systems became evident when heavy rains overwhelmed the systems causing several large sewage spills into Richardson Bay and San Francisco Bay in January 2008. Rainwater infiltrated into cracked pipes, causing January 25 flows to exceed the capacity of the emergency holding basin at the SASM wastewater treatment plant, where 2.45 million gallons overflowed to Richardson Bay. Another spill occurred on January 31 when operators at the SASM treatment plant failed to operate all of its discharge pumps leading to a 2.7 million gallon spill to Richardson Bay. In Sausalito, the January 25 storm led to a 63,000 gallon spill from a sewer manhole on Marinship Way.
EPA inspections of the collection systems revealed that they have a history of chronic spills. Most spills are relatively small volume and caused by roots growing into cracks in the pipes. This pattern of spills is commonly found in aging sewer systems in which many pipes were installed in the 1950’s and earlier. During winter storms, rainwater leaking into defective pipes leads to even greater problems including large volume spills and disruption of wastewater treatment plants.
Sewage spills are reported to the State Water Resources Control Board and these reports are available to the public on the Board’s Web site 
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The EPA orders require the sewer systems to employ a number of strategies to reduce sewage spills. In the short-term, the systems are required to implement aggressive sewer cleaning programs aimed at the most problematic pipes. The systems are also required to inspect their sewer pipes and measure wet weather flows that are passed on to the sewage treatment plants. Finally, the systems must develop plans to manage excess flows and implement long-term programs to repair and replace deteriorated sewer pipes.
The wastewater collection and treatment systems in southern Marin County are managed by several small sewer districts and cities. The small size and fragmented nature of the sewer agencies has made it difficult to adequately fund and effectively manage wastewater. As the sewer systems have aged and deteriorated, the cost of repair and rehabilitation has increased considerably placing further strain on the small districts and cities.
The Sewerage Agency of Southern Marin treats wastewater from about 28,000 people in the Mill Valley area. The sewage is collected from homes and businesses in networks of sewer pipes that are owned and maintained by five separate sanitary districts and the city of Mill Valley.
Sausalito-Marin City Sanitary District treats wastewater from about 16,500 people in Sausalito, Marin City and Tam Valley.
With the Orders, EPA encourages the cities and sewer districts to coordinate their responses to the orders and collaborate in actions to finance, operate and renew their wastewater infrastructure.
EPA and its contractor conducted compliance evaluation inspections of the Marin County sewage collection systems last fall and earlier this year.
- Mill Valley Inspection Report (PDF) (13pp, 130K)
- Sausalito-Marin City Sanitary District Inspection Report (PDF) (38pp, 4M)
- City of Sausalito Inspection Report (PDF) (26pp, 1.5M)
- Almonte Sanitary District Inspection Report (PDF) (23 pp, 1.29M)
- Alto Sanitary District Inspection Report (PDF) (21 pp, 915K)
- Homestead Valley Sanitary District Inspection Report (PDF) (18 pp, 650K)
- Richardson Bay Sanitary District Inspection Report (PDF) (19pp, 649K)
- Tamalpais Community Services District Inspection Report (PDF) (23 pp, 1.4M)
- Sewerage Agency of Southern Marin Inspection Report (PDF) (19 pp, 990K)
*Home phone numbers and names of private citizens that appear in the report attachments have been redacted from the Web posting of the inspection reports.
Final Consent Decree
City of San Diego, California Sewage Collection System
The final Consent Decree is an agreement between the Federal government, Surfrider, Baykeeper, and the City of San Diego that sets a framework to remedy problems with the City's sewer collection system. The settlement is valued at a total of approximately $1 billion, which includes work completed under two previous partial decrees. Work includes enhanced maintenance practices and completion of a number of capital improvement projects.
- Final Consent Decree (PDF) (66 pp, 3.1M)
Administrative Order
Sausalito-Marin City Sanitary District
The Administrative Order (AO) to Sausalito-Marin City Sanitary District (SMCSD) was signed on May 31, 2007, and was issued simultaneously with a Minimum Mandatory Penalty Order from the San Francisco Bay Regional Water Quality Control Board. EPA's AO requires SMCSD to comply with the Clean Water Act and its NPDES permit.
- Administrative Order (PDF) (19 pp, Scanned, 307K)
- Inspection Report (PDF) (17 pp, Scanned, 2.9M)
Final Enforcement Orders & Consent Decrees
Raw sewage from the Beachwalk Force Main break
Stipulated Order - City and County of Honolulu's Sewage Collection System
Agreement between the Federal government (EPA and Department of Justice), the State of Hawaii, and the City and County of Honolulu to address vulnerabilities in Honolulu's sewage collection system.
- Stipulated Order (PDF) (40 pp, 258K)
- Appendix A: Force Main Condition Assessment (6 pp, 46K)
- Appendix B: Beachwalk Pump Station Condition Assessment (2 pp, 21K)
- Appendix C: Force Main Spill Contingency Plans (2 pp, 20K)
- Fact sheet (PDF) (4 pp, 30K) About PDF
- Press release
James Pflueger agreed to pay $2 million and spend more than $5 million on environmental projects, including restoration of streams in the area damaged by construction on his Kaua'i property.
Signed Consent Decree (PDF) (59 pp, 190K) (scanned) | Additional information
The Seven-Up/RC Bottling Company of Southern California agreed to pay a $428,000 fine to resolve civil violations of the Clean Water Act. The civil consent decree addresses storm water and pretreatment violations and requires the company to take remedial measures, in addition to the fine.
Consent Decree - Seven-Up/RC Bottling Company of Southern California, Inc. (PDF) (33 pp, 64K)
Consent Decree text only
Consent Decree - Seven-Up/RC Bottling Company of Southern California, Inc. (PDF) (scanned, 39 pp, 1.2MB)
Includes appendixes and signature pages
To report a violation, contact:
Ken Greenberg (greenberg.ken@epa.gov)
Water Division (WTR-7)
U.S. Environmental Protection Agency, Region 9
75 Hawthorne Street
San Francisco, CA 94105
(415) 972-3577