Ely fined $4K for sediment washing into creek during sewer line construction

ELY — The Linn County community of Ely has agreed to pay a $4,000 fine for failing to keep runoff from a sewer construction site from entering a tributary of Hoosier Creek.

The Iowa Department of Natural Resources issued a notice of violation to the city Feb. 17 after two inspections — in January 2022 and Feb. 14, 2023 — showed the site was not monitoring sediment discharge into stormwater drains, according to an enforcement order released Thursday.

“No sediment and erosion controls were in place, and sediment was observed discharging to an unnamed tributary of Hoosier Creek,” the DNR reported.

The Hoosier Creek Trunk Sewer Project is the second phase of utility expansion to newly annexed land on the north end of Ely, adjacent to State Street and Mabie Road, according to Ely’s website.

The sewer line extends from the Wastewater Treatment Facility on Vista Road, with most of the work running alongside the creek.

Ely obtained a stormwater discharge permit for the project in December 2021, the DNR reported. But on Jan. 6, 2022, someone complained the city was violating terms of the permit by not having erosion protection in place.

A DNR inspection confirmed the complaint and the one in February of this year.

Half the fine was related to the seriousness of the violations, the DNR reported.

“Failure to properly manage stormwater runoff from construction sites degrades surface water quality and deposits excess sediment in water channels,” the order stated.

“Sedimentation of Iowa’s waterways is a serious problem, and regulatory agencies have recognized that uncontrolled runoff is a significant contributor to these problems.”

Ely, populatoin 2,400, has until early January to pay the fine.

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