Associated Press Published

City of Salem Fined $82,000 for Wastewater Violations

Department of Environmental Protection, DEP

The city of Salem is facing more than $82,000 in fines for environmental violations at its wastewater treatment plant.

In a consent order signed in early April, the state Department of Environmental Protection said it issued the plant a variety of violations starting in 2007. They ranged from creating sludge banks in Salem Fork of Ten Mile Creek to failing to report a large spill from a grit remover bagger system.

In monthly averages, the facility also exceeded its daily limit of several substances discharged into waterways. At times, levels of fecal coliform topped the facility’s permit limits by as much as 2,000 percent.

The order says Salem also didn’t comply with almost any requirements from a 2006 consent order, including quarterly reports.