Sewage Plants Targeted Over Lack of Marcellus Permits
Pittsburgh Post-Gazette
10 March 2011
By Don Hopey
Two municipal sewage treatment facilities that together discharge
150,000 gallons a day of Marcellus Shale wastewater into the
Monongahela River don't have permits that allow such pollution
discharges and should, according to a legal action by environmental
organizations.
Clean Water Action and Three Rivers Waterkeeper today filed a federal
notice of intent to sue sewage treatment operations in McKeesport and
Franklin Township, Greene County, in U.S. District Court in Pittsburgh,
claiming the facilities are in violation of federal Clean Water Act
permitting requirements.
The Franklin Township Sewer Authority in Greene County discharges an
average of 50,000 gallons a day of Marcellus drilling wastewater into
the South Fork of Ten Mile Creek, a tributary of the Monongahela River.
That's equal to 5 percent of the authority's daily discharge, and
allowed under a negotiated consent agreement with the state Department
of Environmental Protection.