EPA enforcement actions against wastewater plants in Illinois
52 formal actions at 37 of 638 plants · $11M in penalties · 16 EPA inspections
EPA's enforcement records list 52 formal civil enforcement cases naming publicly owned wastewater treatment plants in Illinois, 17 of them since fiscal year 2020. The cases involve 37 of the state's 638 plants, with $11.5 million in penalties assessed. The most common ground is npdes permit violations (39 cases). EPA has inspected 10 plants in the state, 16 inspections in total. Every plant links to its profile, and every case to its report on EPA's ECHO site.
Recent enforcement actions in Illinois
| Plant | Date | Type | Law section | Outcome | Penalty | Source |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Freeburg West Stp, Village Of Freeburg | Feb 2026 · FY2022 | Administrative order | NPDES Permit Violations | Final Order No Penalty | — | ECHO 05-2022-0315 |
| EPA's description: “AOC for alleged CWA violations” | ||||||
| Sanitary District Of Decatur Decatur | Jan 2026 · FY2026 | Administrative order | NPDES Permit Violations | Final Order Issued | — | ECHO 05-2026-0307 |
| Illinois American Water-Godfrey Wastewater Godfrey | Sep 2025 · FY2020 | Administrative order | NPDES Permit Violations | Final Order No Penalty | — | ECHO 05-2020-0314 |
| EPA's description: “AOC sets out measures to correct the alleged violations and bring Godfrey?s sanitary sewer collection system into compliance with the CWA and ILAW?s NPDES permit, and that ILAW remains responsible…” | ||||||
| Clay City, Village Of Clay City | Jun 2025 · FY2025 | Administrative order | NPDES Permit Violations | Final Order Issued | — | ECHO 05-2025-0320 |
| EPA's description: “AOC sets out measures to correct the alleged violations and bring the facility into compliance with the CWA” | ||||||
| Greater Peoria Sanitary And Sewage District Peoria | Mar 2025 · FY2023 | Administrative order | NPDES Permit Violations | Final Order No Penalty | — | ECHO 05-2023-0331 |
| EPA's description: “Please note that the AOC sets out measures to correct the alleged violations and bring the facility into compliance with the CWA and the facility?s NPDES permit.” | ||||||
| Itasca, Village Of - Prospect Avenue WWTP Itasca | Feb 2025 · FY2025 | Administrative order | NPDES Permit Violations | Final Order No Penalty | — | ECHO 05-2025-0306 |
| EPA's description: “AOC to address alleged violations and return facility to compliance.” | ||||||
| Mounds Stp, City Of Mounds | Aug 2024 · FY2024 | Administrative order | NPDES Permit Violations | Final Order Issued | — | ECHO 05-2024-0333 |
| EPA's description: “AOC set out measures to address alleged violations and bring facility's into compliance with CWA and NPDES permit.” | ||||||
| Huntley - West WWTP Huntley | May 2024 · FY2024 | Administrative order | NPDES Permit Violations | Final Order With Penalty | $700 | ECHO 07-2024-0052 |
| EPA's description: “Facility analyzed biosolids improperly. The reported values are greater than the4 0 CFR 503.13(b)(1) ceiling limits.” | ||||||
| Moline South Treatment Plant Moline | May 2024 · FY2024 | Administrative order | NPDES Permit Violations | Final Order Issued | — | ECHO 05-2024-0318 |
| North Slope Treatment Plant Moline | May 2024 · FY2024 | Administrative order | NPDES Permit Violations | Final Order Issued | — | ECHO 05-2024-0318 |
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 Illinois
| # | Plant | Date | Type | Outcome | Penalty | Compliance actions | Source |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Hennepin Power Station Hennepin | May 2005 · FY1999 | Judicial case | Litigated With Penalty | $9M | $500M | ECHO 05-1999-0751 |
| 2 | MWRDGC Terrence J O'Brien Water Reclamation Plant Skokie | Jan 2014 · FY2001 | Judicial case | Final Order Entered | $675,000 | $1,770M | ECHO 05-2001-0642 |
| 3 | Metropolitan Water Reclamation District Lemont | Jan 2014 · FY2001 | Judicial case | Final Order Entered | $675,000 | $1,770M | ECHO 05-2001-0642 |
| 4 | Metropolitan Water Reclamation Chicago | Jan 2014 · FY2001 | Judicial case | Final Order Entered | $675,000 | $1,770M | ECHO 05-2001-0642 |
| 5 | Greater Peoria Sanitary And Sewage District Peoria | Mar 2021 · FY2005 | Judicial case | Final Order With Penalty | $250,000 | $155M | ECHO 05-2005-0327 |
| 6 | Joliet Eastside Stp, City Of Joliet | May 1993 · FY1988 | Judicial case | Final Order With Penalty | $160,000 | — | ECHO 05-1988-0219 |
| 7 | Joliet Eastside Stp, City Of Joliet | Jan 1994 · FY1985 | Judicial case | Final Order With Penalty | $30,000 | — | ECHO 05-1985-0479 |
| 8 | Hennepin Power Station Hennepin | Sep 1993 · FY1992 | Administrative order | Final Order With Penalty | $12,500 | — | ECHO 05-1992-0053 |
| 9 | Scwrd Sugar Creek WWTP Springfield | Aug 2022 · FY2022 | Administrative order | Final Order With Penalty | $8,100 | — | ECHO 05-2022-5028 |
| 10 | Huntley - West WWTP Huntley | May 2024 · FY2024 | Administrative order | Final Order With Penalty | $700 | $1,000 | ECHO 07-2024-0052 |
Actions by fiscal year
| Fiscal year | Formal actions | Penalties |
|---|---|---|
| FY2017 | 1 | — |
| FY2018 | 4 | — |
| FY2019 | 3 | — |
| FY2020 | 2 | — |
| FY2021 | 2 | — |
| FY2022 | 3 | $8,100 |
| FY2023 | 3 | — |
| FY2024 | 4 | $700 |
| FY2025 | 2 | — |
| FY2026 | 1 | — |
EPA fiscal years run from 1 October to 30 September. The current year is partial.
EPA enforcement in Illinois: 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: Feb 2026.