Which Arkansas wastewater plant received the largest EPA penalty?

Fort Smith, City Of-Massard Water Reclamation Facility in Barling: $300,000 assessed in fiscal year 2005 (Fort Smith, City of, Final Order With Penalty). Penalties are the amounts EPA records as assessed or agreed, not necessarily what was collected.

What does an EPA administrative order mean for a wastewater plant?

Most cases here are administrative orders under section 309 of the Clean Water Act: EPA finds permit violations, usually effluent limits or discharge without a permit, and orders the plant to return to compliance, often with a corrective action plan, a schedule and sometimes a penalty. Judicial cases go through the Department of Justice and typically end in a consent decree with a capital programme behind it. The latest case in Arkansas is from Jul 2026.

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EPA enforcement actions against wastewater plants in Arkansas

Name: EPA enforcement actions against wastewater treatment plants in Arkansas
Creator: Klarifi
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37 formal actions at 22 of 322 plants · $783,649 in penalties · 11 EPA inspections

EPA's enforcement records list 37 formal civil enforcement cases naming publicly owned wastewater treatment plants in Arkansas, 5 of them since fiscal year 2020. The cases involve 22 of the state's 322 plants, with $783,649 in penalties assessed. The most common ground is npdes permit violations (10 cases). EPA has inspected 8 plants in the state, 11 inspections in total. Every plant links to its profile, and every case to its report on EPA's ECHO site.

All plants in Arkansas →Arkansas NPDES permits →EPA enforcement nationwide →Analysis: enforcement since 2020 →

Recent enforcement actions in Arkansas

The 10 most recent formal EPA enforcement cases naming wastewater treatment plants in Arkansas, by latest case status date. Source: EPA ICIS-FE&C civil enforcement cases and ICIS compliance inspections, via ECHO.
Plant	Date	Type	Law section	Outcome	Penalty	Source
Fort Smith, City Of-Massard Water Reclamation Facility Barling	Jul 2026 · FY2005	Judicial case	NPDES Permit Violations	Final Order With Penalty	$300,000	ECHO 06-2005-2150
EPA's description: “Fort Smith CD Modification. Adds 11.5 years. Lodged: 5.19.26 Filed: 7.23.26 Total 23.5 Years. Ends: 6.30.2038”
Fort Smith, City Of - P Street Water Reclamation Facility Fort Smith	Jul 2026 · FY2005	Judicial case	NPDES Permit Violations	Final Order With Penalty	$300,000	ECHO 06-2005-2150
EPA's description: “Fort Smith CD Modification. Adds 11.5 years. Lodged: 5.19.26 Filed: 7.23.26 Total 23.5 Years. Ends: 6.30.2038”
Helena Water Sewer Helena	Sep 2023 · FY2022	Administrative order	National Drinking Water Regulations	Final Order No Penalty	—	ECHO 06-2022-1319
EPA's description: “Failed to submit certification that the water system conducted a Risk and Resilience Assessment by June 30, 2021, and failed to submit certification that it submitted an Emergency Response Plan by…”
Dequeen, City Of De Queen	Aug 2023 · FY2023	Administrative order	NPDES Permit Violations	Final Order No Penalty	—	ECHO 06-2023-1801
EPA's description: “WET limit violation for Pimephales promelas”
Benton WWTP Benton	Jul 2023 · FY2023	Administrative order	NPDES Permit Violations	Final Order No Penalty	—	ECHO 06-2023-1764
EPA's description: “Failure to initiate a Toxicity Reduction Evaluation (TRE)”
Pocahontas Waterworks Pocahontas	Mar 2023 · FY2023	Administrative order	Intentional Acts	Final Order No Penalty	—	ECHO 06-2023-1222
EPA's description: “Failed to conduct a Risk and Resilience Assessment and certify the RRA to EPA by June 30, 2021 Failed to prepare or revise an Emergency Response Plan and certify the ERP to EPA by December 30, 2021”
Helena Water Sewer Helena	Sep 2022 · FY2022	Administrative order	National Drinking Water Regulations	Final Order No Penalty	—	ECHO 06-2022-1320
EPA's description: “Failed to conduct a Risk and Resilience Assessment (RRA) and certify to EPA that a RRA was conducted by June 30, 2021 and an Emergency Response Plan (ERP) by December 30, 2021.”
Dermott WWTP Dermott	Aug 2019 · FY2014	Administrative order	Sewage Sludge Disposal	Unilateral Administrative Order Without Adjudication	—	ECHO 06-2014-1838
Dequeen, City Of De Queen	Jul 2018 · FY2018	Administrative order	NPDES Permit Violations	Unilateral Administrative Order Without Adjudication	—	ECHO 06-2018-1812
EPA's description: “Violations were identified during a December 7, 2017 inspection of your Wastewater Treatment Plant laboratory located in De Queen Arkansas. The inspection was conducted by Environmental Protection…”
West Helena Water Utilities West Helena	Apr 2017 · FY2015	Administrative order	Sewage Sludge Disposal	Unilateral Administrative Order Without Adjudication	—	ECHO 06-2015-1771
EPA's description: “VIOLATION: Administrative Order issued for failure to submit Annual Sludge Discharge Monitoring Report for calendar year 2014. Relief Sought: Submit Annual Sludge Discharge Monitoring Reports.”

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 Arkansas

The 10 largest penalties assessed in EPA enforcement cases naming wastewater treatment plants in Arkansas, with the value of the compliance actions each case required. Source: EPA ICIS-FE&C civil enforcement cases and ICIS compliance inspections, via ECHO.
#	Plant	Date	Type	Outcome	Penalty	Compliance actions	Source
1	Fort Smith, City Of-Massard Water Reclamation Facility Barling	Jul 2026 · FY2005	Judicial case	Final Order With Penalty	$300,000	$480M	ECHO 06-2005-2150
2	Fort Smith, City Of - P Street Water Reclamation Facility Fort Smith	Jul 2026 · FY2005	Judicial case	Final Order With Penalty	$300,000	$480M	ECHO 06-2005-2150
3	Berryville, City Of-WWTP Berryville	Jan 1990 · FY1986	Judicial case	Final Order With Penalty	$123,549	—	ECHO 06-1986-0034
4	Monticello WWTP East Plant Monticello	Dec 1989 · FY1987	Judicial case	Final Order With Penalty	$35,000	—	ECHO 06-1987-0022
5	Helena Water Sewer Helena	May 1989 · FY1988	Administrative order	Final Order With Penalty	$12,000	—	ECHO 06-1988-0624
6	Augusta WWTP Augusta	Jan 1989 · FY1988	Administrative order	Final Order With Penalty	$5,000	—	ECHO 06-1988-0633
7	City Of Hot Springs Regional Wastewater Treatment Plant Hot Springs	Nov 2005 · FY2006	Administrative order	Final Order With Penalty	$3,200	—	ECHO 06-2006-3504
8	Cwl-West Side Wastewater Treatment Plant Jonesboro	Jan 2006 · FY2006	Administrative order	Final Order With Penalty	$1,650	—	ECHO 06-2006-3518
9	Tucker Creek Wastewater Treatment Plant Conway	May 2007 · FY2007	Administrative order	Final Order With Penalty	$1,500	—	ECHO 06-2007-3502
10	Brookland WWTP Brookland	Jan 1989 · FY1988	Administrative order	Final Order With Penalty	$1,000	—	ECHO 06-1988-0637

Actions by fiscal year

Fiscal year	Formal actions	Penalties
FY2017	0	—
FY2018	1	—
FY2019	0	—
FY2020	0	—
FY2021	0	—
FY2022	2	—
FY2023	3	—
FY2024	0	—
FY2025	0	—
FY2026	0	—

EPA fiscal years run from 1 October to 30 September. The current year is partial.

EPA enforcement in Arkansas: 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.

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