EPA enforcement actions against wastewater plants in Ohio
109 formal actions at 83 of 844 plants · $5.2M in penalties · 7 EPA inspections
EPA's enforcement records list 109 formal civil enforcement cases naming publicly owned wastewater treatment plants in Ohio, 30 of them since fiscal year 2020. The cases involve 83 of the state's 844 plants, with $5.2 million in penalties assessed. The most common ground is npdes permit violations (58 cases). EPA has inspected 7 plants in the state, 7 inspections in total. Every plant links to its profile, and every case to its report on EPA's ECHO site.
Recent enforcement actions in Ohio
| Plant | Date | Type | Law section | Outcome | Penalty | Source |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Fostoria City Dump Fostoria | Aug 2026 FY2003 | Judicial case | NPDES Permit Violations | Final Order With Penalty | $15,000 | ECHO 05-2003-0653 |
EPA's description: “CSO related referral. 1st Amended Consent Decree to extend the construction completion date to the 2029 date. CD Amendment does not affect the penalty, pollution reduction, or anything else.” | ||||||
| Doylestown WPCF Doylestown | Aug 2026 FY2026 | Administrative order | NPDES Permit Violations | Final Order Issued | — | ECHO 05-2026-1076 |
| Arlington Village-Arlington Village Arlington | Aug 2026 FY2026 | Administrative order | NPDES Permit Violations | Final Order Issued | — | ECHO 05-2026-1075 |
EPA's description: “Village of Arlington WWTP AOC” | ||||||
| Hayden Heights Mhp Dublin | Jul 2026 FY2026 | Administrative order | NPDES Permit Violations | Final Order Issued | — | ECHO 05-2026-0328 |
| Port Clinton WWTP Port Clinton | May 2026 FY1997 | Judicial case | NPDES Discharge without a Permit | Final Order With Penalty & Specified Cost Recovery | $60,000 | ECHO 05-1997-0389 |
| Defiance Water Pollution Control Plant Defiance | May 2026 FY2024 | Administrative order | NPDES Permit Violations | Final Order No Penalty | — | ECHO 05-2024-0328 |
| Alger WWTP Alger | Mar 2026 FY2026 | Administrative order | NPDES Permit Violations | Final Order Issued | — | ECHO 05-2026-0317 |
| Oak Harbor WWTP Oak Harbor | Mar 2026 FY2026 | Administrative order | NPDES Permit Violations | Final Order Issued | — | ECHO 05-2026-0313 |
| Woodville WWTP Woodville | Feb 2026 FY2026 | Administrative order | NPDES Permit Violations | Final Order Issued | — | ECHO 05-2026-0309 |
EPA's description: “Replaces AOC Finalized in March 2025” | ||||||
| Middleport Village Pws Middleport | Sep 2025 FY2025 | Administrative order | National Drinking Water Regulations | Final Order Issued | — | ECHO 05-2025-1048 |
EPA's description: “The EPA is issuing Administrative Orders (AO or Order) to public water systems for failure to comply with the Lead and Copper Rule Revisions requirements under the Safe Drinking Water Act. EPA Region…” | ||||||
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 Ohio
| # | Plant | Date | Type | Outcome | Penalty | Compliance actions | Source |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Metropolitan Sewer Dis Little Miami WWTP Cincinnati and 1 other plant named in the case | May 2025 FY1998 | Judicial case | Final Order Entered | $1.2M | $3,290M | ECHO 05-1998-0750 |
| 2 | Southerly Wastewater Treatment Center Cleveland and 2 other plants named in the case | Sep 2024 FY2003 | Judicial case | Final Order Entered | $1.2M | $3,033M | ECHO 05-2003-0627 |
| 3 | Akron WRF Akron | Nov 2023 FY2003 | Judicial case | Final Order Entered | $500,000 | $905M | ECHO 05-2003-0628 |
| 4 | Middletown Wastewater Treatment Plant Middletown | Feb 1995 FY1991 | Judicial case | Final Order With Penalty | $288,000 | — | ECHO 05-1991-0131 |
| 5 | City Of Elyria Wastewater Pollution Control Plant Elyria | Jan 2023 FY2015 | Judicial case | Final Order Entered | $200,000 | $250M | ECHO 05-2015-0316 |
| 6 | Akron WRF Akron | Aug 1995 FY1988 | Judicial case | Final Order With Penalty | $191,400 | — | ECHO 05-1988-0054 |
| 7 | City Of Euclid, Wastewater Treatment Plant Euclid | Oct 2011 FY2005 | Judicial case | Final Order Entered | $150,000 | $150M | ECHO 05-2005-0324 |
| 8 | City Of Euclid, Wastewater Treatment Plant Euclid | Apr 1991 FY1982 | Judicial case | Final Order With Penalty | $130,000 | — | ECHO 05-1982-0071 |
| 9 | Lakewood WWTP Lakewood | Jan 2023 FY2015 | Judicial case | Final Order Entered | $100,000 | $80M | ECHO 05-2015-0317 |
| 10 | Ironton WWTP Ironton | Feb 2024 FY2005 | Judicial case | Final Order Entered | $98,000 | $13M | ECHO 05-2005-0325 |
Actions by fiscal year
| Fiscal year | Formal actions | Penalties |
|---|---|---|
| FY2018 | 1 | — |
| FY2019 | 1 | — |
| FY2020 | 2 | — |
| FY2021 | 2 | — |
| FY2022 | 4 | — |
| FY2023 | 8 | — |
| FY2024 | 4 | — |
| FY2025 | 4 | — |
| FY2026 | 6 | — |
| FY2027 | 0 | — |
EPA fiscal years run from 1 October to 30 September. The current year is partial.
EPA enforcement in Ohio: questions
How many EPA enforcement actions have been taken against wastewater plants in Ohio?
EPA's enforcement records list 109 formal civil enforcement cases naming publicly owned wastewater treatment plants in Ohio, 30 of them since fiscal year 2020. They involve 83 of the state's 844 plants. Informal actions such as notices of violation are not counted here.
Which Ohio wastewater plant received the largest EPA penalty?
Metropolitan Sewer Dis Little Miami WWTP in Cincinnati: $1.2 million assessed in fiscal year 1998 (HAMILTON COUNTY, Final Order Entered). 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 Ohio is from Aug 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.
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