EPA enforcement actions against wastewater plants in Arizona
32 formal actions at 19 of 52 plants · $1M in penalties · 9 EPA inspections
EPA's enforcement records list 32 formal civil enforcement cases naming publicly owned wastewater treatment plants in Arizona, 6 of them since fiscal year 2020. The cases involve 19 of the state's 52 plants, with $1 million in penalties assessed. The most common ground is npdes permit violations (12 cases). EPA has inspected 3 plants in the state, 9 inspections in total. Every plant links to its profile, and every case to its report on EPA's ECHO site.
Recent enforcement actions in Arizona
| Plant | Date | Type | Law section | Outcome | Penalty | Source |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Whiteriver Sewage Lagoon Whiteriver | Sep 2024 · FY2024 | Administrative order | NPDES Permit Violations | Final Order No Penalty | — | ECHO 09-2024-1511 |
| EPA's description: “This is an Administrative Order on Consent between US EPA and the White Mountain Apache Tribal Utility Authority (TUA) and White Mountain Apache Tribe (the Tribe) for alleged violations of the Clean…” | ||||||
| Six Mile Lagoon Wastewater Treatment Facility Peridot | Aug 2024 · FY2024 | Administrative order | NPDES Discharge without a Permit | Final Order No Penalty | — | ECHO 09-2024-1524 |
| EPA's description: “Administrative order on consent regarding unpermitted discharges of an estimated one million gallons of raw sewage.” | ||||||
| Chinle WWTF Chinle | Aug 2024 · FY2016 | Administrative order | NPDES Permit Violations | Final Order No Penalty | — | ECHO 09-2016-1507 |
| EPA's description: “This is an Administrative Order on Consent (AOC) between the Navajo Tribal Utility Authority (NTUA) and the U.S. EPA to achieve compliance with the Clean Water Act and the Facility's National…” | ||||||
| Kayenta WWTF Kayenta | Aug 2024 · FY2016 | Administrative order | NPDES Permit Violations | Final Order No Penalty | — | ECHO 09-2016-1509 |
| EPA's description: “This is an Administrative Order on Consent (AOC) between the Navajo Tribal Utility Authority (NTUA) and the U.S. EPA to achieve compliance with the Clean Water Act and the Facility's National…” | ||||||
| Tuba City WWTP Tuba City | Aug 2024 · FY2016 | Administrative order | NPDES Permit Violations | Final Order No Penalty | — | ECHO 09-2016-1512 |
| EPA's description: “This is an Administrative Order on Consent (AOC) between the Navajo Tribal Utility Authority (NTUA) and the U.S. EPA to achieve compliance with the Clean Water Act and the Facility's National…” | ||||||
| Chinle WWTF Chinle | Aug 2024 · FY2021 | Judicial case | NPDES Permit Violations | Final Order Entered | — | ECHO 09-2021-2003 |
| EPA's description: “Consent Decree was entered 8/2/24” | ||||||
| Tuba City WWTP Tuba City | Aug 2024 · FY2021 | Judicial case | NPDES Permit Violations | Final Order Entered | — | ECHO 09-2021-2003 |
| EPA's description: “Consent Decree was entered 8/2/24” | ||||||
| Kayenta WWTF Kayenta | Aug 2024 · FY2021 | Judicial case | NPDES Permit Violations | Final Order Entered | — | ECHO 09-2021-2003 |
| EPA's description: “Consent Decree was entered 8/2/24” | ||||||
| Window Rock Wastewater Treatment Facility Fort Defiance | Sep 2023 · FY2023 | Administrative order | NPDES Permit Violations | Final Order No Penalty | — | ECHO 09-2023-1515 |
| EPA's description: “Administrative order on consent requiring steps required to return to compliance with NPDES permit NN0021555.” | ||||||
| Ganado WWTP Ganado | Sep 2016 · FY2016 | Administrative order | NPDES Permit Violations | Final Order No Penalty | — | ECHO 09-2016-1508 |
| EPA's description: “This is an Administrative Order on Consent (AOC) between the Navajo Tribal Utility Authority (NTUA) and the U.S. EPA to achieve compliance with the Clean Water Act and the Facility's National…” | ||||||
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 Arizona
| # | Plant | Date | Type | Outcome | Penalty | Compliance actions | Source |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | 91st Avenue WWTP Tolleson | Feb 1992 · FY1989 | Judicial case | Final Order With Penalty | $450,000 | — | ECHO 09-1989-0021 |
| 2 | 23rd Avenue Wastewater Treatment Plant Phoenix | Feb 1992 · FY1989 | Judicial case | Final Order With Penalty | $450,000 | — | ECHO 09-1989-0021 |
| 3 | Pima County - Ina Road WWTP Tucson | Feb 1987 · FY1983 | Judicial case | Final Order With Penalty | $100,000 | — | ECHO 09-1983-0002 |
| 4 | Buckeye WWTP Buckeye | Oct 1995 · FY1988 | Judicial case | Final Order With Penalty | $25,000 | — | ECHO 09-1988-0027 |
| 5 | Tolleson WWTP Tolleson | Aug 2010 · FY2010 | Administrative order | Final Order With Penalty | $2,000 | — | ECHO 09-2010-3538 |
Actions by fiscal year
| Fiscal year | Formal actions | Penalties |
|---|---|---|
| FY2017 | 0 | — |
| FY2018 | 0 | — |
| FY2019 | 0 | — |
| FY2020 | 0 | — |
| FY2021 | 3 | — |
| FY2022 | 0 | — |
| FY2023 | 1 | — |
| FY2024 | 2 | — |
| FY2025 | 0 | — |
| FY2026 | 0 | — |
EPA fiscal years run from 1 October to 30 September. The current year is partial.
EPA enforcement in Arizona: 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: Sep 2024.