[Federal Register Volume 64, Number 77 (Thursday, April 22, 1999)]
[Notices]
[Page 19805]
From the Federal Register Online via the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]
[FR Doc No: 99-10066]


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DEPARTMENT OF JUSTICE


Notice of Lodging of Consent Decree Pursuant to the Clean Water 
Act

    Under 28 CFR 50.7, notice is hereby given that on April 14, 1999, a 
proposed consent decree in United States v. WCI Steel, Inc., Civil 
Action No. 4:95 CV 1442, was lodged with the United States District 
Court for the Northern District of Ohio.
    In this action, the United States sought injunctive relief and 
civil penalties under section 309(b) and (d) of the Clean Water act 
(``the Act''), 33 U.S.C. 1319(b) and (d), against WCI Steel, Inc. 
(``WCI'') for violations of section 301 of the Act, 33 U.S.C. 1311, and 
the terms and conditions of WCI's National Pollutant Discharge 
Elimination System (``NPDES'') permits at WCI's Warren, Ohio, steel 
mill. Specifically, the Complaint alleges that WCI repeatedly violated 
various effluent limitations in each of its three permits over the past 
several years, as evidenced by WCI's self-monitoring reports, and that 
numerous unpermitted discharges at both permitted outfalls and 
unpermitted point sources have occurred. In addition, WCI has allegedly 
violated various monitoring, sampling, and reporting requirements 
during the past several years.
    The proposed Clean Water Act consent decree provides for injunctive 
relief consisting of an evaluation of WCI's blast furnace recycle 
system, a comprehensive evaluation of its wastewater systems, a visible 
oil corrective action and monitoring plan, the removal of sludge and 
the lining of a wastewater pond as well as the removal of sludge and 
filling in of a second wastewater pond, cessation of chlorine 
discharges except as authorized by its NPDES permit, and various steps 
to improve compliance with stormwater effluent limitations. In 
addition, WCI will spend a minimum of $750,000 to conduct a sediment 
removal Supplemental Environmental Project (``SEP'') and a benthic 
macro-invertebrate sampling SEP in the Mahoning River. In addition, WCI 
will pay a civil penalty of $1,140,000 to resolve the claims in the 
amended CWA complaint as well as claims for certain violations of a 
December 1997 administrative order.
    The Department of Justice will receive, for a period of thirty (30) 
days from the date of this publication, comments relating to the 
proposed consent decree. Comments should be addressed to the Assistant 
Attorney General for the Environment and Natural Resources Division, 
Department of Justice, Washington, DC 20530, and should refer to United 
States v. WCI Steel, Inc., DOJ Ref. # 90-5-1-1-5027.
    The proposed consent decree may be examined at the office of the 
United States Attorney for the Northern District of Ohio, 1800 Bank One 
Center, 600 Superior Avenue East, Cleveland, Ohio 44114; at U.S. EPA 
Region 5, 77 West Jackson Boulevard, Chicago, IL 60604; and at the 
Consent Decree Library, 1120 G Street, NW., 3rd Floor, Washington, DC 
20005, (202) 624-0892. A copy of the proposed consent decree may be 
obtained in person or by mail from the Consent Decree Library, 1120 G 
Street, NW., 3rd Floor, Washington, DC 20005. In requesting a copy 
please refer to the referenced case and enclose a check in the amount 
of $12.50 (25 cents per page reproduction costs), payable to the 
Consent Decree Library.
Joel M. Gross,
Chief, Environmental Enforcement Section, Environment and Natural 
Resources Division.
[FR Doc. 99-10066 Filed 4-21-99; 8:45 am]
BILLING CODE 4410-15-M