EPA, DOJ and Pennsylvania settle with DELCORA over sewage overflow into Delaware River

The Environmental Protection Agency (EPA), the Department of Justice (DOJ) and the State of Pennsylvania announced Monday that they have reached a settlement with the Delaware County Regional Water Quality Control Authority (DELCORA) over clean water violations, which will require the utility to develop and implement an overflow plan.

“This settlement achieves a long term solution to reduce millions of gallons of sewage overflows into the creeks and the Delaware River,” EPA Regional Administrator Shawn M. Garvin said. “It puts DELCORA on a sustainable path to managing stormwater in ways that will benefit the health and quality of local communities and waters for years to come.”

DELCORA’s system has had longstanding issues with stormwater overflow, which causes its system to discharge raw sewage, industrial waste, nitrogen, phosphorus and polluted stormwater into the Delaware River and Chester and Ridley Creeks, to the tune of 739 million gallons each year. According to the consent decree, DELCORA will pay a fine of $1.375 million, to be split between the federal government and the State of Pennsylvania, and implement an overflow control plan, which may cost as much as $200 million.