EPA enforcement actions against wastewater plants in Virginia
18 formal actions at 15 of 224 plants · $226,130 in penalties · 10 EPA inspections
EPA's enforcement records list 18 formal civil enforcement cases naming publicly owned wastewater treatment plants in Virginia, 0 of them since fiscal year 2020. The cases involve 15 of the state's 224 plants, with $226,130 in penalties assessed. The most common ground is compliance order: injunctive & penalty (6 cases). EPA has inspected 6 plants in the state, 10 inspections in total. Every plant links to its profile, and every case to its report on EPA's ECHO site.
Recent enforcement actions in Virginia
| Plant | Date | Type | Law section | Outcome | Penalty | Source |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Wilderness Wastewater Treatment Plant Locust Grove | Sep 2019 · FY2019 | Administrative order | Notification of Hazardous Reportable Quantity Release | Final Order With Penalty | $21,500 | ECHO 03-2019-0026 |
| EPA's description: “On August 13, 2019, EPA filed a Consent Agreement and Final Order (CAFO), (Docket No. CERC-EPCRA-03-2019-0026), which initiated and settled EPA's penalty claim for violations of the notification and…” | ||||||
| Pearisburg Town - Sewage Treatment Plant Pearisburg | Sep 2013 · FY2013 | Administrative order | Emergency Release Notification Section 313 Program | Final Order With Penalty | $5,000 | ECHO 03-2013-0182 |
| Galax Wastewater Treatment Facility Galax | Mar 2013 · FY2000 | Judicial case | NPDES Permit Violations | Final Order With Penalty | $50,000 | ECHO 03-2000-0506 |
| Culpeper Wastewater Treatment Plant Culpeper | May 2012 · FY2012 | Administrative order | Emergency Release Notification Section 313 Program | Final Order With Penalty | $27,420 | ECHO 03-2012-0139 |
| Doc - Wise Correctional Unit 18 STP Coeburn | Jun 2008 · FY2004 | Administrative order | Compliance Order: Injunctive & Penalty | Final Order Issued | — | ECHO 03-2004-0297 |
| Doc - James River Correctional Center State Farm | Jun 2008 · FY2004 | Administrative order | Compliance Order: Injunctive & Penalty | Final Order Issued | — | ECHO 03-2004-0297 |
| Augusta Correctional Center Craigsville | Jun 2008 · FY2004 | Administrative order | Compliance Order: Injunctive & Penalty | Final Order Issued | — | ECHO 03-2004-0297 |
| Doc Caroline Correctional Unit 2 Hanover | Jun 2008 · FY2004 | Administrative order | Compliance Order: Injunctive & Penalty | Final Order Issued | — | ECHO 03-2004-0297 |
| Doc Rustburg Correctional Unit 9 Rustburg | Jun 2008 · FY2004 | Administrative order | Compliance Order: Injunctive & Penalty | Final Order Issued | — | ECHO 03-2004-0297 |
| Richmond WWTP Richmond | Jun 2008 · FY2008 | Administrative order | Prevention of Accidental Release/Risk Management Plans (RMPs) | Final Order With Penalty | $300 | ECHO 03-2008-0158 |
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 Virginia
| # | Plant | Date | Type | Outcome | Penalty | Compliance actions | Source |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Doc - James River Correctional Center State Farm | Sep 2004 · FY2004 | Administrative order | Final Order With Penalty | $58,110 | $75,000 | ECHO 03-2004-0280 |
| 2 | Galax Wastewater Treatment Facility Galax | Mar 2013 · FY2000 | Judicial case | Final Order With Penalty | $50,000 | $1.1M | ECHO 03-2000-0506 |
| 3 | South Hill WWTP South Hill | Jan 1994 · FY1993 | Administrative order | Final Order With Penalty | $46,000 | — | ECHO 03-1993-0235 |
| 4 | Culpeper Wastewater Treatment Plant Culpeper | May 2012 · FY2012 | Administrative order | Final Order With Penalty | $27,420 | $27,600 | ECHO 03-2012-0139 |
| 5 | Wilderness Wastewater Treatment Plant Locust Grove | Sep 2019 · FY2019 | Administrative order | Final Order With Penalty | $21,500 | $1,500 | ECHO 03-2019-0026 |
| 6 | Town Of Luray Luray | Feb 1999 · FY1997 | Administrative order | Final Order With Penalty | $15,000 | $700,000 | ECHO 03-1997-0159 |
| 7 | Pearisburg Town - Sewage Treatment Plant Pearisburg | Sep 2013 · FY2013 | Administrative order | Final Order With Penalty | $5,000 | $1,500 | ECHO 03-2013-0182 |
| 8 | Martinsville STP Ridgeway | Jan 2006 · FY2005 | Administrative order | Final Order Issued | $1,000 | — | ECHO 03-2005-0311 |
| 9 | Peppers Ferry Regional Wastewater Treatment Plant Radford | Sep 2005 · FY2005 | Administrative order | Final Order With Penalty | $1,000 | $500 | ECHO 03-2005-0309 |
| 10 | Culpeper Wastewater Treatment Plant Culpeper | Sep 2005 · FY2005 | Administrative order | Final Order With Penalty | $800 | $500 | ECHO 03-2005-0299 |
Actions by fiscal year
| Fiscal year | Formal actions | Penalties |
|---|---|---|
| FY2017 | 0 | — |
| FY2018 | 0 | — |
| FY2019 | 1 | $21,500 |
| FY2020 | 0 | — |
| FY2021 | 0 | — |
| FY2022 | 0 | — |
| FY2023 | 0 | — |
| FY2024 | 0 | — |
| FY2025 | 0 | — |
| FY2026 | 0 | — |
EPA fiscal years run from 1 October to 30 September. The current year is partial.
EPA enforcement in Virginia: 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 2019.