The City of Storm Lake has been ordered to pay an $8,000 penalty related to a wastewater discharge into the lake early this year. The Iowa Department of Natural Resources (DNR) reports the findings of an investigation into a Jan. 29, notification in which the city’s wastewater superintendent reported a break to a 24-inch gravity sewer line. The superintendent, Mike Davis, told DNR authorities that he was unsure when the break had occurred, but estimated it may have happened when the line was jetted by a contractor on Jan. 26. He also estimated that there were around 500 gallons per minute flowing into Storm Lake. A temporary fix was made until permanent repairs could be completed on Feb. 2. Senior Environmental Specialist with the DNR, Tom Roos, worked with the city to make the repairs, and said he observed dark brown water and solids flowing into the lake that were melting the ice. The penalty consists of a $2,000 assessment based on the DNR’s assertion that there was a form of economic benefit for avoiding the cost of treating, reusing or holding the bypassed water, $3,000 for the gravity of the situation and the detriment to aquatic life, state water quality goals and the decline in quality of life due to the heavy recreational use of the lake and $3,000 for culpability because the staff was not properly trained and did not have the equipment necessary to make the repairs.
