SACRAMENTO CA (10/15/2020) – The city of Mount Shasta has agreed to pay $1.3 million to settle an
Administrative Civil Liability complaint for multiple sanitary sewer overflows from its collection
system and for violating effluent limitations at its wastewater treatment plant.

The overflows, which occurred between October 2014 and April 2017, primarily were caused
by a buildup of debris and root intrusion from aging infrastructure that could not accommodate
heavy flows during intense rainfall. In 2017, the heavy rains also caused substantial channel
bank erosion at a pipe crossing that resulted in failure of the pipe and a sewage spill into Cold
Creek, tributary to Lake Siskiyou.

“It is critical that cities like Mt. Shasta operate and maintain their sewage collection systems
consistent with their permit terms,” said Clint Snyder, Assistant Executive Officer for the
Central Valley Regional Water Quality Control Board. “Failing to do so threatens public health
and aquatic organisms when untreated sewage enters receiving waters.”

Under the terms of the settlement, the city will allocate $1.1 million of the penalty to upgrading
the collection system in the downtown area to reduce the likelihood of future overflows.
Raw sewage contains pathogens, nitrogen, ammonia, and organic matter. When spilled into a
creek, elevated levels of these constituents create a human health risk and reduce dissolved
oxygen levels in the water, which negatively impacts aquatic life.

The city violated effluent limitations in their National Pollutant Discharge Elimination System
(NPDES) permit by going over the allowed amount of biochemical oxygen demand, total
suspended solids, copper, and zinc from February 2017 through May 2020. Under the
settlement, the city will direct $108,000 toward completing assessments and studies that will
inform upgrades to the existing wastewater treatment plant and prevent effluent violations.

Additionally, the city will pay $166,988 to the state’s Water Pollution Cleanup and Abatement
Account.

Contact: Clint Snyder Clint.Snyder@waterboards.ca.gov