Waste Treatment Corporation to address wastewater treatment and discharge

The Pennsylvania Department of Environmental Protection (DEP) has reached a proposed consent decree with Waste Treatment Corporation over the company’s treatment and discharge of wastewater.

The consent decree addresses adverse impacts to the Allegheny River. It will go through a 30-day public comment period before the Commonwealth Court’s final approval.

In 2012, the department conducted biological surveys, which revealed that discharge from the company’s plant in Warren was harming the river’s water quality and biological community.

As per the proposed consent decree, the company is required to submit the necessary permit application to the department for the installation of additional wastewater treatment that will achieve applicable effluent limitations, including total dissolved solids and chlorides of 500mg/l and 250mg/l respectively.

Additional treatment must also be installed and achieve other requirements in the decree by 2016.

The decree also requires Waste Treatment Corporation to verify through biological surveys that the additional treatment is successful in restoring the water quality and biological community of the Allegheny River.

The department is now accepting written comments regarding the proposed consent decree.