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Lawrenceville told to address 15 IEPA violations; city to pursue compliance agreement
Summary
Mayor Courtney told the council the Illinois EPA issued a violation notice and offered a Compliance Commitment Agreement to address 15 major violations; the city has been working with HMG Engineering on a response while residents pressed concerns about sewer operations and staffing.
Mayor Courtney announced the City of Lawrenceville received a violation notice from the Illinois Environmental Protection Agency and said IEPA "is offering the City to join into a Compliance Commitment Agreement to address 15 major violations." He said the city has communicated with HMG Engineering in crafting a response and plans to initiate changes.
The Mayor told the council the violations were connected to the city's water and sewer operations and observed that one employee — Utilities Supervisor Tipsword — oversees two major plants and associated equipment. "IEPA found the City hadn’t put Utilities Supervisor Tipsword in a place to be successful," Courtney said, while also expressing confidence in the current supervisor and saying he was not planning a leadership change.
Council members and residents raised staffing and operational questions during public comment. Alderman Volkman and others discussed timekeeping and staffing needs; Tipsword acknowledged he had requested additional employees to fully staff the department. Residents including Scott Durrant and Doug Bowman flagged laboratory and wastewater concerns.
The announcement did not include a formal timeline for the Compliance Commitment Agreement or specific remedies; the council noted the city is working with HMG Engineering to prepare a response to IEPA. The Council did not take a formal vote on entering the agreement at the Dec. 11 meeting.
