EPA
reduces amount
of fine to Platte City
by Shana
Haines
Landmark reporter
Negotiations with the Environmental Protection Agency
have paid dividends for Platte City.
Platte City's Board of Aldermen approved at a meeting
last week to authorize the city to pay $15,000 for a fine
enforced by the EPA.
The fine stems from an incident in January at a creek
north of Hwy. 92, west of Casey's and east of the Platte
River when an older sewer line broke dumping sanitary
sewage into a creek that flows into the river. The leak
was reported by a trapper to the EPA.
The EPA claimed the leak violated the federal Clean Water
Act, which prohibits the discharge of "pollutants"
into a "navigable water."
The EPA originally posted a $60,000 fine to the city.
Negotiations were made and the city is now responsible
for a $15,000 fine.
According to the settlement the city must complete two
Supplemental Environmental Projects.
One of the projects is cleaning, grading, installation
of any needed erosion controls and adjusting the flow
line and enlarging the culvert under Hwy. 92 near Casey's.
The proposed time for completing this project is two
years and has an estimated cost of $100,000.
The second project is the establishment of a greenway/storm
drainage easement. The drains leading to the Platte River
will be cleaned, regraded and erosion controls will be
installed and maintained.
The time frame for the project is one year and it has
an estimated cost of $35,000.
The city must pay the fine to the EPA in full within
30 days.
The city is also required to submit a periodic report
every six months to provide status of each project. The
report must include information on what has been completed,
what remains to be completed and the estimated time frame
for completion.
Aldermen also approved the mayor's appointment of Special
Programs Coordinator George McClintock.
o approved the mayor's appointment of Special Programs
Coordinator George McClintock.
McClintock has been appointed to help promote Platte
City. According to Mayor Dave Brooks, McClintock was instrumental
in assisting with the lighting ceremony held recently
in downtown.
An ordinance authorizing a franchise agreement with Unite
to provide telecommunications to Platte City was approved.
Unite is a subsidiary of Aquila and provides telephone,
Internet and cable television services. The franchise
agreement approved only permits Unite to provide telephone
and Internet services in Platte City.
The franchise requires Unite to pay a fee of 5 percent
on gross receipts to Platte City for use of right-of-ways.
The installation of cable is an ongoing project.
A resolution to continue and improve the curbside recycling
program for Platte County was approved.
Mid American Regional Council has awarded Platte City
a grant to purchase a recycling roll-off truck tarper.
The tarper will be purchased with matching funds.
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