Monticello fined for wastewater discharges

Monticello has agreed to pay a $5,000 fine after illegal discharges of polluted water from the city’s wastewater treatment plant into the Maquoketa River, the Iowa Department of Natural Resources reported.

A DNR consent order released Thursday says Monticello allowed a “significant industrial user” — Royal Flush Truck & Trailer Washout — to break its treatment agreement with the city, did not allocate city staff to address the problems and delayed upgrades to the city’s wastewater treatment facility.

The city does not admit or deny the allegations, but agrees to complete an industrial user survey by May 1, update treatment agreements with some companies and upgrade the wastewater treatment plant by March 1, 2025.

Monticello has a federal permit allowing the city to discharge treated wastewater into a public waterway as long is the discharge doesn’t exceed limits for contaminants including suspended solids, copper, ammonia nitrate and E. coli bacteria.

The city signed a treatment agreement with Royal Flush in February 2020 to accept wastewater from the truck and trailer wash, the DNR reported. The DNR approved the agreement because Monticello was planning to update its wastewater treatment facility.

When the agency met with city and Royal Flush officials in September 2020, the DNR learned 65 percent of Royal Flush’s business was washing cattle manure out of trailers.

On Dec. 18, 2020, the DNR issued a notice of violation to Monticello because water coming from the wastewater treatment facility into the Maquoketa River did not meet standards set out in the city’s permit.

In September 2021, Monticello told the DNR it would exceed standards for E. coli in wastewater and expressed concern about water coming from Royal Flush exceeding terms of the treatment agreement, the order states.

“However, the city had not initiated an enforcement action beyond information discussions,” the DNR said.

That month the DNR sent notices of violation to both the city and Royal Flush. Monticello received three other notices of violation in 2022. The city signed a new treatment agreement with Royal Flush in July 2022, adding flow limits and reducing allowed levels of some contaminants.

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