(WASHINGTON, DC - Oct. 21, 2010) The city of Toledo, Ohio, has agreed to make extensive improvements to its sewer system that will significantly reduce the city's longstanding sewage overflows into Swan Creek and the Maumee and Ottawa Rivers, the city's main waterways, the Department of Justice, the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) and the state of Ohio announced today.

The Clean Water Act settlement lodged today in U.S. District Court for the Northern District of Ohio, modifies a 2002 agreement between the United States, state of Ohio and city of Toledo. The 2002 agreement required that Toledo greatly expand its treatment plant and build a large storage basin to capture stormwater combined with sewage during high flows for later treatment. The parties understood that although the improvements were important, they were only the first phase of the work needed to bring Toledo into compliance with the Clean Water Act. Therefore, the 2002 agreement also required Toledo to conduct a detailed study of the combined portions of its sewer system and propose a plan of additional measures to eliminate or substantially reduce wet weather discharges from Toledo's combined sewers. Today's agreement requires the city to implement this plan, which both the U.S. EPA and the Ohio Environmental Protection Agency (Ohio EPA) have now approved.

• Press Release (10/21/10)
• Press Release (08/28/02)
• Consent Decree and First Amendment to the Consent Decree

For additional information, contact:

Alan Morrissey
U.S. EPA
1200 Pennsylvania Avenue, NW (2243A)
Washington, DC 20460
(202) 564-4026
morrissey.alan@epa.gov