EPA enforcement actions against wastewater plants in Wisconsin
33 formal actions at 19 of 394 plants · $297,674 in penalties · 29 EPA inspections
EPA's enforcement records list 33 formal civil enforcement cases naming publicly owned wastewater treatment plants in Wisconsin, 16 of them since fiscal year 2020. The cases involve 19 of the state's 394 plants, with $297,674 in penalties assessed. The most common ground is npdes permit violations (16 cases). EPA has inspected 8 plants in the state, 29 inspections in total. Every plant links to its profile, and every case to its report on EPA's ECHO site.
- All plants in Wisconsin
- Wisconsin NPDES permits
- EPA enforcement nationwide
- Analysis: enforcement since 2020
Recent enforcement actions in Wisconsin
| Plant | Date | Type | Law section | Outcome | Penalty | Source |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Stockbridge-Munsee Indian Tr Bowler | May 2026 FY2026 | Administrative order | NPDES Permit Violations | Final Order Issued | — | ECHO 05-2026-0319 |
EPA's description: “AOC sets out measures to correct alleged NPDES violations.” | ||||||
| Laona Sanitary Dist Laona | Mar 2026 FY2025 | Administrative order | National Drinking Water Regulations | Final Order No Penalty | — | ECHO 05-2025-1069 |
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…” | ||||||
| Bad River Wwwtp Odanah | Jan 2026 FY2026 | Administrative order | NPDES Permit Violations | Final Order Issued | — | ECHO 05-2026-0304 |
EPA's description: “AOC sets out measures to correct alleged NPDES violations.” | ||||||
| Bad River Wwwtp Odanah | Dec 2025 FY2026 | Administrative order | NPDES Permit Violations | Final Order Issued | — | ECHO 05-2026-0302 |
EPA's description: “AOC sets out measures to correct alleged NPDES violations.” | ||||||
| Kieler Sanitary District 1 Kieler | Dec 2025 FY2026 | Administrative order | National Drinking Water Regulations | Final Order Issued | — | ECHO 05-2026-1058 |
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…” | ||||||
| Oneida WWTF Oneida | Apr 2025 FY2023 | Administrative order | NPDES Permit Violations | Final Order No Penalty | — | ECHO 05-2023-0302 |
EPA's description: “Final AOC for the Oneida WWTP” | ||||||
| Soldiers Grove Wastewater Treatment Facility Soldiers Grove | Aug 2023 FY2023 | Administrative order | NPDES Permit Violations | Final Order Issued | — | ECHO 05-2023-0334 |
EPA's description: “The attached final Administrative Order on Consent (AOC) mitigates potential violations of Section 301 of the Clean Water Act.” | ||||||
| Red Cliff Band WWTF Bayfield | Jul 2023 FY2022 | Administrative order | NPDES Permit Violations | Superseded by Another Enforcement Action | — | ECHO 05-2022-0321 |
EPA's description: “AOC will require the Band to implement treatment process improvements and construct a new alum treatment system to address the remaining effluent limit violations.” | ||||||
| Red Cliff Band WWTF Bayfield | Jul 2023 FY2023 | Administrative order | NPDES Permit Violations | Final Order Issued | — | ECHO 05-2023-0339 |
| Lac Courte Oreilles Hayward | Jan 2023 FY2023 | Administrative order | NPDES Permit Violations | Final Order Issued | — | ECHO 05-2023-0311 |
EPA's description: “final Administrative Order on Consent (?AOC?) designed to bring the Lac Courte Oreilles Band of Lake Superior Chippewa Indians? (LCO) Reserve Lagoon facility (?Facility?) into compliance with its…” | ||||||
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 Wisconsin
| # | Plant | Date | Type | Outcome | Penalty | Compliance actions | Source |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Green Bay Metropolitan Sewerage District Green Bay | Apr 2022 FY2022 | Administrative order | Final Order With Penalty | $260,000 | — | ECHO 05-2022-5016 |
| 2 | Sparta Wastewater Treatment Facility Sparta | Jun 1991 FY1990 | Administrative order | Final Order With Penalty | $20,000 | — | ECHO 05-1990-0271 |
| 3 | US Army Fort Mccoy Fort Mccoy | Jun 1996 FY1993 | Administrative order | Final Order With Penalty | $6,084 | $11,358 | ECHO 05-1993-1351 |
| 4 | US Army Fort Mccoy Fort Mccoy | Dec 2022 FY2023 | Administrative order | Final Order With Penalty | $4,700 | — | ECHO 05-2023-2005 |
| 5 | US Army Fort Mccoy Fort Mccoy | Dec 2022 FY2023 | Administrative order | Final Order With Penalty | $4,700 | — | ECHO 05-2023-2017 |
| 6 | Fox River Water Pollution Control Center Brookfield | Feb 2005 FY2005 | Administrative order | Final Order With Penalty | $1,250 | — | ECHO 05-2005-1234 |
| 7 | US Army Fort Mccoy Fort Mccoy | Dec 2022 FY2023 | Administrative order | Final Order With Penalty | $940 | — | ECHO 05-2023-2004 |
Actions by fiscal year
| Fiscal year | Formal actions | Penalties |
|---|---|---|
| FY2018 | 1 | — |
| FY2019 | 4 | — |
| FY2020 | 0 | — |
| FY2021 | 0 | — |
| FY2022 | 4 | $260,000 |
| FY2023 | 7 | $10,340 |
| FY2024 | 0 | — |
| FY2025 | 1 | — |
| FY2026 | 4 | — |
| FY2027 | 0 | — |
EPA fiscal years run from 1 October to 30 September. The current year is partial.
EPA enforcement in Wisconsin: questions
How many EPA enforcement actions have been taken against wastewater plants in Wisconsin?
EPA's enforcement records list 33 formal civil enforcement cases naming publicly owned wastewater treatment plants in Wisconsin, 16 of them since fiscal year 2020. They involve 19 of the state's 394 plants. Informal actions such as notices of violation are not counted here.
Which Wisconsin wastewater plant received the largest EPA penalty?
Green Bay Metropolitan Sewerage District in Green Bay: $260,000 assessed in fiscal year 2022 (GREEN BAY METROPOLITAN SEWERAGE DISTRICT (NEW WATER) - APO/CAFO, 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 Wisconsin is from May 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: May 2026.
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