EPA enforcement actions against wastewater plants in Alaska
16 formal actions at 9 of 38 plants · $353,818 in penalties · 3 EPA inspections
EPA's enforcement records list 16 formal civil enforcement cases naming publicly owned wastewater treatment plants in Alaska, 3 of them since fiscal year 2020. The cases involve 9 of the state's 38 plants, with $353,818 in penalties assessed. The most common ground is npdes permit violations (11 cases). EPA has inspected 3 plants in the state, 3 inspections in total. Every plant links to its profile, and every case to its report on EPA's ECHO site.
Recent enforcement actions in Alaska
| Plant | Date | Type | Law section | Outcome | Penalty | Source |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Petersburg WWTP Petersburg | Jul 2026 · FY2026 | Administrative order | NPDES Permit Violations | Final Order No Penalty | — | ECHO 10-2026-0184 |
| EPA's description: “On 7/1/2026, Region 10 issued an administrative order on consent to Petersburg Borough for its wastewater treatment facility. In 2024, Petersburg discovered that the diffuser, at the end of the…” | ||||||
| Skagway WWTP Skagway | Nov 2024 · FY2025 | Administrative order | NPDES Permit Violations | Final Order With Penalty | $1,613 | ECHO 10-2025-0002 |
| EPA's description: “On November 26, 2024, Region 10 filed an expedited settlement agreement resolving CWA violations of the Municipality of Skagway's wastewater permit at its wastewater treatment plant in Skagway,…” | ||||||
| Metlakatla Sewer Treatment Plant Metlakatla | Aug 2023 · FY2023 | Administrative order | NPDES Permit Violations | Final Order No Penalty | — | ECHO 10-2023-0096 |
| EPA's description: “On August 21, 2023, Region 10 issued an administrative order on consent ( Order ) to the Metlakatla Indian Community (MIC) for its Sewage Treatment Plant (STP) located in the Metlakatla Indian…” | ||||||
| Palmer WWTP Palmer | Aug 2021 · FY2015 | Judicial case | NPDES Permit Violations | Final Order With Penalty | $192,162 | ECHO 10-2015-0082 |
| EPA's description: “On December 22, 2016, the United States and State of Alaska entered into a Consent Decree with the City of Palmer, Alaska, resolving violations of the Clean Water Act by the City at its municipal…” | ||||||
| Mendenhall Valley WWTP Juneau | Jul 2021 · FY2000 | Administrative order | NPDES Permit Violations | Final Order With Penalty | $30,000 | ECHO 10-2000-0095 |
| EPA's description: “Clean Water Act violations.” | ||||||
| Mountain Point Wastewater Treatment Plant Ketchikan | Jun 2018 · FY2017 | Administrative order | NPDES Permit Violations | Final Order No Penalty | — | ECHO 10-2017-0050 |
| EPA's description: “On February 23, 2017, Region 10 issued a Compliance Order On Consent (COOC) resolving violations of the Clean Water Act by the Ketchikan Gateway Borough, located in Ketchikan, Alaska. Respondent,…” | ||||||
| Mountain Point Wastewater Treatment Plant Ketchikan | Apr 2017 · FY2017 | Administrative order | NPDES Permit Violations | Final Order With Penalty | $9,250 | ECHO 10-2017-0051 |
| EPA's description: “On March 28, 2017, Region 10 filed a consent agreement and final order resolving violations of the Clean Water Act by the Ketchikan Gateway Borough, located in Ketchikan, Alaska. Respondent, which…” | ||||||
| Mendenhall Valley WWTP Juneau | Sep 2010 · FY2000 | Administrative order | NPDES Discharge without a Permit | Final Order No Penalty | — | ECHO 10-2000-0206 |
| EPA's description: “Clean Water Act violations.” | ||||||
| Charcoal Point WWTP Ketchikan | Feb 2007 · FY2007 | Administrative order | NPDES Permit Violations | Final Order With Penalty | $39,000 | ECHO 10-2007-0029 |
| EPA's description: “Respondent failed to comply with effluent limitations specified in NPDES permit # AK0021440 (ie. fecal coliform bacteria, biochemical oxygen demand (BOD), total suspended solids (TSS), copper, total…” | ||||||
| Skagway WWTP Skagway | Dec 2006 · FY2007 | Administrative order | NPDES Permit Violations | Final Order With Penalty | $18,000 | ECHO 10-2007-0006 |
| EPA's description: “EPA alleges that Respondent violated the NPDES permit issued to the wastewater treatment facility. The violations are of daily maximum and monthly average effluent limitations for fecal coliform,…” | ||||||
Full case histories, milestones, violation types and EPA's complete case summaries for every plant are shown with a free Klarifi account. Create one →
Largest penalties in Alaska
| # | Plant | Date | Type | Outcome | Penalty | Compliance actions | Source |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Palmer WWTP Palmer | Aug 2021 · FY2015 | Judicial case | Final Order With Penalty | $192,162 | $8.6M | ECHO 10-2015-0082 |
| 2 | Charcoal Point WWTP Ketchikan | Feb 2007 · FY2007 | Administrative order | Final Order With Penalty | $39,000 | $229,781 | ECHO 10-2007-0029 |
| 3 | Mendenhall Valley WWTP Juneau | Feb 2005 · FY2005 | Administrative order | Final Order With Penalty | $36,793 | $25,000 | ECHO 10-2005-0055 |
| 4 | Mendenhall Valley WWTP Juneau | Jul 2021 · FY2000 | Administrative order | Final Order With Penalty | $30,000 | — | ECHO 10-2000-0095 |
| 5 | Cordova Wastewater Treatment Plant Cordova | Jun 2006 · FY2006 | Administrative order | Final Order With Penalty | $22,000 | $61,000 | ECHO 10-2006-0105 |
| 6 | Skagway WWTP Skagway | Dec 2006 · FY2007 | Administrative order | Final Order With Penalty | $18,000 | $250,000 | ECHO 10-2007-0006 |
| 7 | Mountain Point Wastewater Treatment Plant Ketchikan | Apr 2017 · FY2017 | Administrative order | Final Order With Penalty | $9,250 | $1,000 | ECHO 10-2017-0051 |
| 8 | Kenai STP Kenai | Jun 1980 · FY1976 | Judicial case | Final Order With Penalty | $5,000 | — | ECHO 10-1976-0004 |
| 9 | Skagway WWTP Skagway | Nov 2024 · FY2025 | Administrative order | Final Order With Penalty | $1,613 | $1,000 | ECHO 10-2025-0002 |
Actions by fiscal year
| Fiscal year | Formal actions | Penalties |
|---|---|---|
| FY2017 | 2 | $9,250 |
| FY2018 | 0 | — |
| FY2019 | 0 | — |
| FY2020 | 0 | — |
| FY2021 | 0 | — |
| FY2022 | 0 | — |
| FY2023 | 1 | — |
| FY2024 | 0 | — |
| FY2025 | 1 | $1,613 |
| FY2026 | 1 | — |
EPA fiscal years run from 1 October to 30 September. The current year is partial.
EPA enforcement in Alaska: questions
Sources and methodology
Flow, permit and violation figures come from the EPA's ICIS-NPDES discharge monitoring records. Population served comes from the Clean Watersheds Needs Survey 2022. Treatment structures are identified by Klarifi's review of aerial imagery, and capital improvement projects are extracted from published municipal budget documents. Violations are counted over the last three years of monitoring reports.
Data refreshed September 17, 2026.
Enforcement data: EPA ICIS-FE&C civil enforcement cases and ICIS compliance inspections, via ECHO. Penalties are the amounts assessed or agreed in each case as EPA records them. Latest case status in this data: Jul 2026.