EPA enforcement actions against wastewater plants in South Carolina
42 formal actions at 24 of 120 plants · $701,222 in penalties · 13 EPA inspections
EPA's enforcement records list 42 formal civil enforcement cases naming publicly owned wastewater treatment plants in South Carolina, 3 of them since fiscal year 2020. The cases involve 24 of the state's 120 plants, with $701,222 in penalties assessed. The most common ground is npdes permit violations (19 cases). EPA has inspected 8 plants in the state, 13 inspections in total. Every plant links to its profile, and every case to its report on EPA's ECHO site.
- All plants in South Carolina
- South Carolina NPDES permits
- EPA enforcement nationwide
- Analysis: enforcement since 2020
Recent enforcement actions in South Carolina
| Plant | Date | Type | Law section | Outcome | Penalty | Source |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Lower Berkeley Wastewater Treatment Plant Goose Creek | Jun 2026 FY2026 | Administrative order | Intentional Acts | Unilateral Administrative Order Without Adjudication | — | ECHO 04-2026-5116 |
| Plum Island WWTP Charleston | Aug 2022 FY2022 | Administrative order | SPCC and/or Federal Response Plan Violations | Final Order With Penalty | $2,594 | ECHO 04-2022-0405 |
EPA's description: “JULY 27, 2022 - SPCC Expedited Settlement Agreement: On September 9, 2020, an authorized representative of the United States Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) conducted an inspection of the…” | ||||||
| Generostee Creek Wastewater Treatment Plant Anderson | Jan 2022 FY2014 | Administrative order | NPDES Permit Violations | Final Order No Penalty | — | ECHO 04-2014-4754 |
| Pinewood Town Of WWTP Pinewood | May 2021 FY2021 | Administrative order | Effluent Limitations - NPDES Toxic & Pretreatment Effluent Standards | Final Order No Penalty | — | ECHO 04-2021-0307 |
EPA's description: “20210517 - ADMINISTRATIVE ORDER ON CONSENT ISSUED. ALLEDGED VIOLATIONS: On October 15, 2020, the EPA sent a Notice of Potential Violations (NOPV) letter to Pinewood regarding potential violations…” | ||||||
| Murrells Inlet Wastewater Treatment Plant Murrells Inlet | Aug 2018 FY2015 | Administrative order | NPDES Discharge without a Permit | Unilateral Administrative Order Without Adjudication | — | ECHO 04-2015-4774 |
| Dillon Little Pee Dee Dillon | May 2016 FY2016 | Administrative order | NPDES Permit Violations | Unilateral Administrative Order Without Adjudication | — | ECHO 04-2016-4753 |
| City Of Georgetown Sewage Treatment Facility Georgetown | Jan 2015 FY2014 | Administrative order | NPDES Permit Violations | Unilateral Administrative Order Without Adjudication | — | ECHO 04-2014-4764 |
| Florence City Of Timmonsville WWTP Timmonsville | Dec 2014 FY2008 | Administrative order | NPDES Permit Violations | Litigated No Penalty | — | ECHO 04-2008-4751 |
| Generostee Creek Wastewater Treatment Plant Anderson | Sep 2014 FY2014 | Administrative order | NPDES Permit Violations | Final Order With Penalty | $45,000 | ECHO 04-2014-4504 |
| Metro Wastewater Treatment Plant Columbia | May 2014 FY2010 | Judicial case | NPDES Permit Violations | Final Order With Penalty | $476,400 | ECHO 04-2010-9004 |
EPA's description: “9/9/13?DoJ, EPA, and DHEC announced a proposed settlement today with the City of Columbia to resolve violations of the CWA, including unauthorized overflows of untreated raw sewage. Columbia has…” | ||||||
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 South Carolina
| # | Plant | Date | Type | Outcome | Penalty | Compliance actions | Source |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Metro Wastewater Treatment Plant Columbia | May 2014 FY2010 | Judicial case | Final Order With Penalty | $476,400 | $750M | ECHO 04-2010-9004 |
| 2 | Generostee Creek Wastewater Treatment Plant Anderson | Sep 2014 FY2014 | Administrative order | Final Order With Penalty | $45,000 | — | ECHO 04-2014-4504 |
| 3 | Camden WWTF Camden | Feb 2006 FY2006 | Administrative order | Final Order With Penalty | $33,000 | — | ECHO 04-2006-4500 |
| 4 | North Charleston Sewer District WWTP Herbert Site North Charleston | Oct 2006 FY2006 | Administrative order | Final Order With Penalty | $29,000 | $86,055 | ECHO 04-2006-4506 |
| 5 | Kingstree Wastewater Treatment Plant Kingstree | Oct 2006 FY2006 | Administrative order | Final Order With Penalty | $25,000 | — | ECHO 04-2006-4531 |
| 6 | Lyman Town Of Waste Water Treatment Plant Lyman | Oct 2006 FY2006 | Administrative order | Final Order With Penalty | $21,000 | — | ECHO 04-2006-4516 |
| 7 | Moncks Corner WWTF Moncks Corner | Mar 2010 FY2008 | Administrative order | Final Order With Penalty | $18,000 | — | ECHO 04-2008-4522 |
| 8 | Gsw&sa/george R Vereen WWTP Conway | Feb 2006 FY2006 | Administrative order | Final Order With Penalty | $18,000 | — | ECHO 04-2006-4505 |
| 9 | Blacksburg Canoe Creek (new) Blacksburg | Mar 2006 FY2005 | Administrative order | Final Order With Penalty | $15,000 | — | ECHO 04-2005-4513 |
| 10 | Walterboro City Of WWTP Walterboro | May 2006 FY2006 | Administrative order | Final Order With Penalty | $7,875 | — | ECHO 04-2006-4512 |
Actions by fiscal year
| Fiscal year | Formal actions | Penalties |
|---|---|---|
| FY2018 | 0 | — |
| FY2019 | 0 | — |
| FY2020 | 0 | — |
| FY2021 | 1 | — |
| FY2022 | 1 | $2,594 |
| FY2023 | 0 | — |
| FY2024 | 0 | — |
| FY2025 | 0 | — |
| FY2026 | 1 | — |
| FY2027 | 0 | — |
EPA fiscal years run from 1 October to 30 September. The current year is partial.
EPA enforcement in South Carolina: questions
How many EPA enforcement actions have been taken against wastewater plants in South Carolina?
EPA's enforcement records list 42 formal civil enforcement cases naming publicly owned wastewater treatment plants in South Carolina, 3 of them since fiscal year 2020. They involve 24 of the state's 120 plants. Informal actions such as notices of violation are not counted here.
Which South Carolina wastewater plant received the largest EPA penalty?
Metro Wastewater Treatment Plant in Columbia: $476,400 assessed in fiscal year 2010 (COLUMBIA, SC, 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 South Carolina is from Jun 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: Jun 2026.
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