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News release

October 10, 2024

Contact

Stephen Mikkelson, 218-316-3887, stephen.mikkelson@state.mn.us

Journey Developing Inc. fined $12,525 for wastewater permit violations near Oronoco

Journey Developing Inc. failed to properly operate its wastewater treatment facility for the River Park housing development in Oronoco, Minnesota, from August through December 2023 before connecting to the newly constructed Oronoco wastewater treatment plant, according to a Minnesota Pollution Control Agency (MPCA) enforcement investigation. 

The investigation and facility file reviews confirmed several violations including:

  • Failing to administer adequate operator staffing, laboratory analysis and process controls of the wastewater treatment facility from August through December 2023.
  • Exceeding effluent limits for nitrogen on 43 occasions between April 2019 and January 2024.
  • Failing to submit 17 monthly discharge monitoring reports and failing to sample for 79 pollution parameters between April 2019 and January 2024.

In addition to paying the $12,525 civil penalty, Journey Developing completed a series of corrective actions including submitting an application to the MPCA to terminate its permit once it connected to the Oronoco wastewater treatment plant and continuing to submit discharge monitoring reports until the permit terminated.

MPCA rules and regulations are designed to protect human health and the environment by limiting pollution emissions and discharges from facilities. When companies 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. 

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