Consent Decree

In 2007, the State of Missouri and the United States Environmental Protection Agency filed a lawsuit against MSD regarding overflows. The Missouri Coalition for the Environment later joined the lawsuit as an intervener. Throughout MSD’s service area, there are hundreds of points where a combination of rainwater and wastewater discharges into local waterways from the sewer system during moderate to heavy rainstorms. These sewer overflow points act as relief valves when too much rainwater enters the sewer system, and without them, our community could experience thousands of basement backups and/or extensive street flooding.

Though most overflows predate MSD's creation in 1954, they are still our responsibility, and efforts to address the problem must continue. From 1992 to 2010, MSD spent approximately $2.3 billion to remove over 300 overflows. To address the fewer than 400 overflows that remain, we must increase our collection and treatment capabilities -- an expensive, complicated, and decades long task.

In August 2011, the Department of Justice filed a settlement, or consent decree, requiring MSD to spend a minimum $4.7 billion over the next 23 years to address the issue of overflows and other sewer system improvements.

The consent decree agreement between MSD, the EPA and the Missouri Coalition for the Environment has been accepted by the United States District Court. The consent decree has been entered and went into effect on April 27, 2012.

Reports

2012

2011