EPA enforcement actions against wastewater plants in Louisiana
178 formal actions at 76 of 259 plants · $1.2M in penalties · 23 EPA inspections
EPA's enforcement records list 178 formal civil enforcement cases naming publicly owned wastewater treatment plants in Louisiana, 23 of them since fiscal year 2020. The cases involve 76 of the state's 259 plants, with $1.2 million in penalties assessed. The most common ground is npdes discharge without a permit (64 cases). EPA has inspected 18 plants in the state, 23 inspections in total. Every plant links to its profile, and every case to its report on EPA's ECHO site.
Recent enforcement actions in Louisiana
| Plant | Date | Type | Law section | Outcome | Penalty | Source |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Breaux Bridge Wastewater Treatment Plant Breaux Bridge | Aug 2026 · FY2026 | Administrative order | Prevention of Accidental Release/Risk Management Plans (RMPs) | Final Order With Penalty | $400 | ECHO 06-2026-3598 |
| EPA's description: “On October 10, 2025, EPA Risk Management Program Reporting Center sent a letter to Respondent, notifying Respondent of its failure to update the Risk Management Plan on file with EPA for its facility…” | ||||||
| Breaux Bridge Wastewater Treatment Plant Breaux Bridge | Jul 2026 · FY2026 | Administrative order | Prevention of Accidental Release/Risk Management Plans (RMPs) | Final Order No Penalty | — | ECHO 06-2026-3569 |
| EPA's description: “On October 10, 2025, EPA RMP Reporting Center sent a letter to Respondent, notifying Respondent of its failure to update the RMP on file with EPA for the Facility. EPA conducted an investigation of…” | ||||||
| Tallulah, City Of- Wastewater Treatment Plant Tallulah | Jul 2026 · FY2026 | Administrative order | NPDES Permit Violations | Final Order Issued | — | ECHO 06-2026-1796 |
| EPA's description: “City of Tallulah WWTP is failing to meet permit effluent limits and to properly maintain the facility.” | ||||||
| St Tammany Parish-Cross Gate Slidell | Apr 2026 · FY2026 | Administrative order | NPDES Permit Violations | Final Order Issued | — | ECHO 06-2026-1770 |
| EPA's description: “St. Tammany Parish - Cross Gates Wastewater Treatment Facility, has been issued an Administrative Order following an inspection made by the Environmental Protection Agency. The violations alleged are…” | ||||||
| Benton Palmetto Park Treatment Plant Benton | Sep 2025 · FY2025 | Administrative order | NPDES Permit Violations | Unilateral Administrative Order Without Adjudication | — | ECHO 06-2025-1791 |
| EPA's description: “On September 12, 2025, EPA Region 6 issued an Administrative Order (AO) under its authority pursuant to Section 309 of the Clean Water Act to the Town of Benton LA Wastewater Treatment Facility. The…” | ||||||
| Wastewater Treatment Plant Pineville | Aug 2025 · FY2025 | Administrative order | Prevention of Accidental Release/Risk Management Plans (RMPs) | Final Order No Penalty | — | ECHO 06-2025-3422 |
| EPA's description: “EPA conducted an investigation of the Facilities on April 24, 2024, to determine Respondent's compliance with Section 112(r) of the CAA, 42 U.S.C. ? 7412(r), and 40 C.F.R. Part 68 (the Investigation…” | ||||||
| Lafayette Consolidated Government - Northeast WWTP Lafayette | Aug 2025 · FY2025 | Administrative order | Prevention of Accidental Release/Risk Management Plans (RMPs) | Final Order With Penalty | $1,200 | ECHO 06-2025-3449 |
| EPA's description: “On November 6, 2023, EPA Risk Management Program Reporting Center sent a letter to Respondent, notifying Respondent of its failure to update the Risk Management Plan on file with EPA for its facility…” | ||||||
| Lafayette Consolidated Government - East WWTP Lafayette | Aug 2025 · FY2025 | Administrative order | Prevention of Accidental Release/Risk Management Plans (RMPs) | Final Order No Penalty | — | ECHO 06-2025-3452 |
| EPA's description: “EPA conducted an investigation of three Facilities on March 5, 2025, to determine Respondent's compliance with Section 112(r) of the CAA, 42 U.S.C. ? 7412(r), and 40 C.F.R. Part 68 (the Investigation…” | ||||||
| South Water Treatment Plant Lafayette | Jul 2025 · FY2025 | Administrative order | Prevention of Accidental Release/Risk Management Plans (RMPs) | Final Order With Penalty | $800 | ECHO 06-2025-3451 |
| EPA's description: “On November 6, 2023, EPA Risk Management Program Reporting Center sent a letter to Respondent, notifying Respondent of its failure to update the Risk Management Plan on file with EPA for its facility…” | ||||||
| Grambling, City Of Grambling | Jul 2025 · FY2012 | Administrative order | NPDES Permit Violations | Unilateral Administrative Order Without Adjudication | — | ECHO 06-2012-1805 |
| EPA's description: “Respondent, Town of Grambling, Located in Grambling, Lincoln Parish, Louisiana, is a municipality chartered under the laws of the State of Louisiana. Certified DMRs filed by the Respondent with EPA…” | ||||||
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Largest penalties in Louisiana
| # | Plant | Date | Type | Outcome | Penalty | Compliance actions | Source |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Shreveport North Regional WWTP Shreveport | Dec 2022 · FY2009 | Judicial case | Demand for Stipulated Penalties | $650,000 | $342M | ECHO 06-2009-1790 |
| 2 | Sewerage District #1 Of Iberia Parish & City Of New Iberia- Tete Bayou WWTP New Iberia | Oct 2005 · FY2001 | Judicial case | Final Order Entered | $235,000 | $50M | ECHO 06-2001-0273 |
| 3 | Farmerville Waste Water Treatment Plant Farmerville | Oct 2016 · FY2016 | Administrative order | Final Order With Penalty | $57,925 | — | ECHO 06-2016-3502 |
| 4 | Sewerage District #1 Of Iberia Parish & City Of New Iberia- Tete Bayou WWTP New Iberia | Dec 2004 · FY2002 | Judicial case | Final Order Entered | $51,400 | $30M | ECHO 06-2002-3723 |
| 5 | St. Martinville, City Of St. Martinville | Feb 2015 · FY1998 | Judicial case | Final Order With Penalty | $49,926 | $2.7M | ECHO 06-1998-0326 |
| 6 | Youngsville Wastewater Treatment Facility Youngsville | Dec 2002 · FY2000 | Administrative order | Final Order With Penalty | $26,000 | — | ECHO 06-2000-0817 |
| 7 | Opelousas, City Of- Candy Street WWTP Opelousas | Dec 1988 · FY1988 | Administrative order | Litigated With Penalty | $25,000 | — | ECHO 06-1988-0629 |
| 8 | Ponchatoula, City Of- Wastewater Treatment Facility Ponchatoula | Feb 2002 · FY2001 | Administrative order | Final Order With Penalty | $20,000 | $166,000 | ECHO 06-2001-0176 |
| 9 | Deridder City Of - Deridder Animal Shelter Deridder | Sep 1986 · FY1985 | Judicial case | Final Order With Penalty | $20,000 | — | ECHO 06-1985-0002 |
| 10 | Ponchatoula, City Of- Wastewater Treatment Facility Ponchatoula | Aug 1999 · FY1999 | Administrative order | Final Order With Penalty | $11,000 | $10,000 | ECHO 06-1999-0322 |
Actions by fiscal year
| Fiscal year | Formal actions | Penalties |
|---|---|---|
| FY2017 | 1 | $600 |
| FY2018 | 4 | — |
| FY2019 | 0 | — |
| FY2020 | 1 | — |
| FY2021 | 1 | — |
| FY2022 | 1 | $4,800 |
| FY2023 | 0 | — |
| FY2024 | 8 | — |
| FY2025 | 8 | $2,000 |
| FY2026 | 4 | $400 |
EPA fiscal years run from 1 October to 30 September. The current year is partial.
EPA enforcement in Louisiana: 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: Aug 2026.