EPA enforcement actions against wastewater plants in Massachusetts
89 formal actions at 37 of 65 plants · $1.2M in penalties · 37 EPA inspections
EPA's enforcement records list 89 formal civil enforcement cases naming publicly owned wastewater treatment plants in Massachusetts, 11 of them since fiscal year 2020. The cases involve 37 of the state's 65 plants, with $1.2 million in penalties assessed. The most common ground is npdes permit violations (50 cases). EPA has inspected 19 plants in the state, 37 inspections in total. Every plant links to its profile, and every case to its report on EPA's ECHO site.
Recent enforcement actions in Massachusetts
| Plant | Date | Type | Law section | Outcome | Penalty | Source |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Manchester Wastewater Treatment Facility Manchester | Sep 2026 · FY2026 | Administrative order | NPDES Permit Violations | Final Order Issued | — | ECHO 01-2026-2033 |
| EPA's description: “On September 2, 2026, the Region entered into an administrative order on consent ( AOC ) with the Town of Manchester-by-the-Sea, Massachusetts requiring the Town to implement an ambient receiving…” | ||||||
| Hatfield Wastewater Treatment Facility Hatfield | Apr 2025 · FY2025 | Administrative order | NPDES Permit Violations | Final Order Issued | — | ECHO 01-2025-2046 |
| Hull Wastewater Treatment Plant Hull | Oct 2024 · FY2016 | Administrative order | NPDES Permit Violations | Final Order No Penalty | — | ECHO 01-2016-2017 |
| EPA's description: “On May 9, 2016, the Region entered into an order on consent (Order) with the Town of Hull, Massachusetts to address sanitary sewer overflows from its wastewater collection system. Hull owns and…” | ||||||
| Pittsfield Wastewater Treatment Facility Pittsfield | Feb 2024 · FY2011 | Administrative order | NPDES Permit Violations | Final Order No Penalty | — | ECHO 01-2011-2003 |
| EPA's description: “The City of Pittsfield, MA's NPDES permit contains water quality based imits for total phosphorus and total aluminum which the existing treatment system cannot meet. In addition, the City has had…” | ||||||
| Hardwick WWTP Hardwick | Jan 2024 · FY2019 | Administrative order | NPDES Permit Violations | Final Order No Penalty | — | ECHO 01-2019-2021 |
| EPA's description: “On April 10, 2019, EPA issued a Clean Water Act administrative order (AO) to the Town of Hardwick, Massachusetts for violations of the effluent limits contained in its NPDES permit. The Town owns and…” | ||||||
| Billerica Wastewater Treatment Facility Billerica | Jan 2024 · FY2019 | Administrative order | NPDES Permit Violations | Final Order No Penalty | — | ECHO 01-2019-2040 |
| EPA's description: “On July 16, 2019, EPA issued a Clean Water Act Administrative Order (Order) to the Town of Billerica, Massachusetts for violating the total aluminum limits contained in its National Pollutant…” | ||||||
| North Brookfield Waste Water Treatment Plant North Brookfield | Oct 2023 · FY2019 | Administrative order | NPDES Permit Violations | Final Order No Penalty | — | ECHO 01-2019-2052 |
| North Brookfield Waste Water Treatment Plant North Brookfield | Oct 2023 · FY2024 | Administrative order | NPDES Permit Violations | Final Order Issued | — | ECHO 01-2024-2001 |
| Holyoke Water Pollution Control Facility Holyoke | Aug 2023 · FY2016 | Judicial case | NPDES Permit Violations | Final Order Entered | $50,000 | ECHO 01-2016-2036 |
| EPA's description: “On March 23, 2023, the Department of Justice lodged a consent decree in federal court that will resolve violations of the Clean Water Act and corresponding Massachusetts laws by the City of Holyoke,…” | ||||||
| Salisbury Wastewater Treatment Facility Salisbury | Aug 2023 · FY2016 | Administrative order | NPDES Permit Violations | Final Order No Penalty | — | ECHO 01-2016-2007 |
| EPA's description: “The Town is in violation of stringent, WQ-based effluent limits for ammonia nitrogen, copper, and nickel. The Order requires the Town to complete a study to evaluate the feasibility of only…” | ||||||
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 Massachusetts
| # | Plant | Date | Type | Outcome | Penalty | Compliance actions | Source |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Deer Island Wastewater Treatment Facility Winthrop | Jun 2014 · FY2006 | Judicial case | Final Order With Penalty | $305,000 | $180,000 | ECHO 01-2006-2216 |
| 2 | Greater Lawrence Wastewater Treatment Facility North Andover | Jan 2007 · FY2003 | Judicial case | Final Order With Penalty | $254,000 | $18M | ECHO 01-2003-0127 |
| 3 | South Essex Wastewater Treatment Plant Salem | Sep 1991 · FY1988 | Judicial case | Final Order With Penalty | $225,000 | — | ECHO 01-1988-0018 |
| 4 | Brockton Advanced Water Reclamation Fac Brockton | Mar 2013 · FY2003 | Judicial case | Final Order With Penalty | $180,000 | $86M | ECHO 01-2003-0118 |
| 5 | Hoosic Wastwater Treament Plant Williamstown | Oct 2003 · FY2000 | Judicial case | Final Order With Penalty | $100,000 | $4.8M | ECHO 01-2000-0226 |
| 6 | Holyoke Water Pollution Control Facility Holyoke | Aug 2023 · FY2016 | Judicial case | Final Order Entered | $50,000 | $30M | ECHO 01-2016-2036 |
| 7 | Holyoke Water Pollution Control Facility Holyoke | Oct 2005 · FY2006 | Administrative order | Final Order Issued | $36,000 | $17M | ECHO 01-2006-2000 |
| 8 | Holyoke Water Pollution Control Facility Holyoke | Jan 2005 · FY2004 | Administrative order | Final Order With Penalty | $27,000 | $720 | ECHO 01-2004-2033 |
| 9 | Palmer Water Pollution Control Facility Palmer (three Rivers) | Jun 1990 · FY1985 | Judicial case | Final Order With Penalty | $25,000 | — | ECHO 01-1985-0011 |
| 10 | Taunton Wastewater Treatment Facility Taunton | Apr 2023 · FY2023 | Administrative order | Final Order Issued | $12,000 | $166,000 | ECHO 01-2023-2030 |
Actions by fiscal year
| Fiscal year | Formal actions | Penalties |
|---|---|---|
| FY2017 | 0 | — |
| FY2018 | 2 | — |
| FY2019 | 6 | — |
| FY2020 | 4 | — |
| FY2021 | 1 | — |
| FY2022 | 0 | — |
| FY2023 | 3 | $12,000 |
| FY2024 | 1 | — |
| FY2025 | 1 | — |
| FY2026 | 1 | — |
EPA fiscal years run from 1 October to 30 September. The current year is partial.
EPA enforcement in Massachusetts: 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 2026.