Lawsuit: East St. Louis Allows Sewage to Spill Into Lake
Date Posted: December 12, 2024
Posted In: News,
From St. Louis Public Radio: Federal and state governments on Wednesday filed a civil lawsuit against the city of East St. Louis, accusing it of allowing untreated sewage to spill from its infrastructure despite two orders from the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency to address the problem in 2022 and 2023.
The EPA, along with the U.S. Department of Justice and the state of Illinois, say in the complaint that sewage flows into the community and bodies of water, including the Mississippi River and Whispering Willow Lake at Frank Holten State Park, in violation of the Clean Water Act. Residents go to Frank Holten for fishing and boating, the complaint notes.
They are seeking a court order in the U.S. District Court for the Southern District of Illinois or a settlement agreement like the one announced Tuesday in Cahokia Heights that would require the city to pay penalties and make infrastructure improvements.
East St. Louis Mayor Charles Powell III and City Manager Robert Betts could not immediately be reached for comment about the lawsuit on Wednesday. Attorneys representing the city also did not immediately respond to a request for comment.