EPA enforcement actions against wastewater plants in Texas
510 formal actions at 275 of 1,231 plants · $175M in penalties · 111 EPA inspections
EPA's enforcement records list 510 formal civil enforcement cases naming publicly owned wastewater treatment plants in Texas, 148 of them since fiscal year 2020. The cases involve 275 of the state's 1,231 plants, with $175.4 million in penalties assessed. The most common ground is npdes permit violations (306 cases). EPA has inspected 68 plants in the state, 111 inspections in total. Every plant links to its profile, and every case to its report on EPA's ECHO site.
Recent enforcement actions in Texas
| Plant | Date | Type | Law section | Outcome | Penalty | Source |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Temple Belton WWTP Belton | Aug 2026 · FY2026 | Administrative order | NPDES Permit Violations | Unilateral Administrative Order Without Adjudication | — | ECHO 06-2026-1837 |
| EPA's description: “On August 18, 2026, EPA Region 6 issued an Administrative Order (AO) under its authority pursuant to Section 309 of the Clean Water Act to the Temple and Belton WWTF. The AO was issued in response to…” | ||||||
| City Of Zavalla-Guitp - Hwy 147 North Zavalla | Aug 2026 · FY2026 | Administrative order | National Drinking Water Regulations | Final Order Issued | — | ECHO 06-2026-1543 |
| EPA's description: “SDWA Lead Service Line Inventory (LSLI) Administrative Orders issued by the United States Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) to the City of Zavalla on August 14, 2026. The Orders were issued in…” | ||||||
| East Tawakoni WWTF East Tawakoni | Aug 2026 · FY2026 | Administrative order | National Drinking Water Regulations | Final Order Issued | — | ECHO 06-2026-1544 |
| EPA's description: “SDWA Lead Service Line Inventory (LSLI) Administrative Orders issued by the United States Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) to the City of East Tawakoni on August 14, 2026. The Orders were issued…” | ||||||
| City Of Flatonia Flatonia | Aug 2026 · FY2026 | Administrative order | National Drinking Water Regulations | Final Order No Penalty | — | ECHO 06-2026-1534 |
| EPA's description: “Failed to conduct a lead and copper inventory of pipelines” | ||||||
| City Of Rio Grande City WWTP Rio Grande City | Jun 2026 · FY2026 | Administrative order | NPDES Permit Violations | Final Order Issued | — | ECHO 06-2026-1807 |
| EPA's description: “EPA Region 6 has issued an Administrative Order (AO) under its authority pursuant to Section 309 of the Clean Water Act to the City of Rio Grande - Rio Grand City Wastewater Treatment Facility - in…” | ||||||
| City Of Ingleside WWTP Ingleside | Jun 2026 · FY2026 | Administrative order | NPDES Permit Violations | Final Order Issued | — | ECHO 06-2026-1810 |
| EPA's description: “On June 29 2026, Region 6 issued an Administrative Order (AO) under its authority pursuant to the Clean Water Act to the City of Ingleside, Texas. The AO was issued in response to effluent violations…” | ||||||
| Zapata County Waterworks Sewer Division WWTP Zapata | Jun 2026 · FY2026 | Administrative order | NPDES Permit Violations | Final Order Issued | — | ECHO 06-2026-1813 |
| EPA's description: “On June 29, 2026, Region 6 issued an Administrative Order (AO) under its authority pursuant to the Clean Water Act to Zapata County, Texas. The AO was issued in response to effluent violations of…” | ||||||
| City Of Whitewright-Plant 2 - 407 S Gowdy Whitewright | Jun 2026 · FY2026 | Administrative order | National Drinking Water Regulations | Final Order Issued | — | ECHO 06-2026-1502 |
| EPA's description: “On June 24, 2026, EPA Region 6 issued an Administrative Order (AO) under its authority pursuant to the Safe Drinking Water Act (SDWA) to City of Whitewright (TX0910011) for failure to develop its…” | ||||||
| City Of West Tawakoni WWTP West Tawakoni | Jun 2026 · FY2026 | Administrative order | National Drinking Water Regulations | Final Order Issued | — | ECHO 06-2026-1484 |
| EPA's description: “On June 17, 2026, EPA Region 6 Issued an Administrative Order (AO) to City of West Tawakoni (Respondent). The Order was issued in response to the system's failure to develop a Lead Service Line…” | ||||||
| Jackrabbit Road Pud WWTP Houston | Jun 2026 · FY2026 | Administrative order | NPDES Permit Violations | Final Order Issued | — | ECHO 06-2026-1800 |
| EPA's description: “EPA Region 6 has issued an Administrative Order (AO) under its authority pursuant to Section 309 of the Clean Water Act to the Jackrabbit Road Public Utility District Wastewater Treatment Facility in…” | ||||||
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Largest penalties in Texas
| # | Plant | Date | Type | Outcome | Penalty | Compliance actions | Source |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Intercontinental Airport WWTP Houston | Apr 2021 · FY2010 | Judicial case | Final Order With Penalty | $4.4M | $2,000M | ECHO 06-2010-1780 |
| 2 | Westway WWTF Houston | Apr 2021 · FY2010 | Judicial case | Final Order With Penalty | $4.4M | $2,000M | ECHO 06-2010-1780 |
| 3 | Hc Mud 450 WWTP Humble | Apr 2021 · FY2010 | Judicial case | Final Order With Penalty | $4.4M | $2,000M | ECHO 06-2010-1780 |
| 4 | Northbelt WWTF Houston | Apr 2021 · FY2010 | Judicial case | Final Order With Penalty | $4.4M | $2,000M | ECHO 06-2010-1780 |
| 5 | Harris County Mud 203 WWTP Houston | Apr 2021 · FY2010 | Judicial case | Final Order With Penalty | $4.4M | $2,000M | ECHO 06-2010-1780 |
| 6 | Forest Cove WWTP Houston | Apr 2021 · FY2010 | Judicial case | Final Order With Penalty | $4.4M | $2,000M | ECHO 06-2010-1780 |
| 7 | West Lake Houston WWTP Humble | Apr 2021 · FY2010 | Judicial case | Final Order With Penalty | $4.4M | $2,000M | ECHO 06-2010-1780 |
| 8 | Southwest WWTP Houston | Apr 2021 · FY2010 | Judicial case | Final Order With Penalty | $4.4M | $2,000M | ECHO 06-2010-1780 |
| 9 | Beltway WWTP Houston | Apr 2021 · FY2010 | Judicial case | Final Order With Penalty | $4.4M | $2,000M | ECHO 06-2010-1780 |
| 10 | Willowbrook WWTP Houston | Apr 2021 · FY2010 | Judicial case | Final Order With Penalty | $4.4M | $2,000M | ECHO 06-2010-1780 |
Actions by fiscal year
| Fiscal year | Formal actions | Penalties |
|---|---|---|
| FY2017 | 10 | — |
| FY2018 | 10 | — |
| FY2019 | 18 | — |
| FY2020 | 20 | — |
| FY2021 | 12 | — |
| FY2022 | 22 | $1,200 |
| FY2023 | 21 | — |
| FY2024 | 23 | $400 |
| FY2025 | 22 | $1,200 |
| FY2026 | 28 | — |
EPA fiscal years run from 1 October to 30 September. The current year is partial.
EPA enforcement in Texas: 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.