Department of Environmental Quality Director Steven E. Chester announced today that the DEQ and National-Standard, LLC, a subsidiary of Heico Holdings, LLC, have resolved a longstanding enforcement action involving contaminated sediment within Lacey Creek in Niles.

In December 2003, DEQ staff responded to a notice from National-Standard that the wire manufacturer's wastewater treatment plant had malfunctioned, spilling wastewater into Lacey Creek, a tributary of the St. Joseph River. The DEQ alleged that at the time of the malfunction, National-Standard did not have properly trained staff available to remedy the situation, and as part of its investigation of the spill, the DEQ also identified additional violations of the National Pollutant Discharge Elimination System permit issued to Heico.

To resolve the violations alleged by the DEQ, National-Standard has increased internal oversight of its WWTP and NPDES compliance by hiring additional certified wastewater treatment operators. In addition, the company has agreed to remove approximately 1,000 cubic yards of contaminated sediment from Lacey Creek in an area extending 1,500 feet downstream from the National-Standard discharge location. National-Standard has also agreed to pay a civil fine of $40,000 and will reimburse the DEQ for $10,000 of its enforcement costs.

Editor's note: DEQ news releases are available on the department's Internet home page at www.michigan.gov/deq.

"Protecting Michigan's Environment, Ensuring Michigan's Future"

Revised October 30, 2008 by Pat Watson