Two environmental groups and the County of Henrico reached a settlement to resolve the groups’ Clean Water Act citizen suit concerning alleged violations at the Henrico County Water Reclamation Facility. In April 2022, the federal district court for the Eastern District of Virginia denied in part the County’s motion to dismiss, finding that there were “reasonable doubts as to future compliance,” including because of trends such as more frequent severe weather events and increased amounts of precipitation. The settlement agreement obligated the parties to make a joint request to the Virginia Department of Environmental Quality (DEQ) to add certain requirements to a December 2021 consent order that was intended to resolve sanitary sewer overflow violations from the sewage collection system. If DEQ declines to modify the consent order, the parties will confer regarding the status of the litigation. The court stayed all proceedings in the case until December 31, 2022.

Citizen suit alleging violations of the Clean Water Act at the Henrico County Water Reclamation Facility.

Chesapeake Bay Foundation, Inc. v. County of Henrico

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Parties Agreed to Settlement in Clean Water Act Citizen Suit Concerning Sewage Overflows in Henrico County Sewer System

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