Trustees acting as the NM municipal authority voted Dec. 2 to approve an Oklahoma Department of Environmental Quality (ODEQ) consent order related to a fish kill that occurred May 20, 2025, and to authorize payment of the $10,000 administrative penalty cited in the order.

City staff summarized prior study-session briefings and said the consent order is an administrative instrument reached through discussions with ODEQ; the city has accepted responsibility and agreed to required actions to prevent recurrence. “One of the tasks is that we are to submit a schedule for the development and implementation of a control mechanism under our pretreatment program for the pollutants that were identified in the correspondence,” staff said, noting studies on technical local limits and permitting steps for significant industrial users.

Staff told trustees that the $10,000 penalty is the minimum assessment in any fish-kill situation and that the city recommends accepting the order and the response prepared by staff. Trustees approved the consent order and authorized payment by voice vote, 6 to 0.

The city said it will implement a schedule for pretreatment controls, continue technical studies and pursue permitting and enforcement measures to reduce pollutant discharges. Mayor Mason noted the city plans to recover costs where possible. The matter was handled as an administrative enforcement resolution rather than litigation.