Aspen Hills Homeowners Association’s wastewater treatment plant in Elk River paid a $15,000 fine for consistently discharging fecal coliform and phosphorus into nearby Tibbets Brook in violation of Minnesota rules. These pollutants negatively impact water quality, putting aquatic life and potentially human health at risk. Tibbets Brook has been on the MPCA’s list of impaired waters since 2012 for E. coli impairments.
In addition to paying the $15,000 fine, the Homeowners Association completed the following corrective actions:
- complied with all requirements established in the limits and monitoring in their wastewater permit
- hired a third-party consultant to submit a report that documents how the Association will meet future permit limits
- provided a timeline for proposed facility upgrades
MPCA rules and regulations are designed to protect human health and the environment by limiting pollution emissions and discharges from facilities. When regulated parties do not fully comply with regulatory requirements, the resulting pollution can be harmful to people and the environment.
When calculating penalties, the MPCA considers how seriously the violations affected or could have affected the environment, and whether they were first-time or repeat violations. The agency also attempts to recover the economic benefit the company gained by failing to comply with environmental laws in a timely manner.