The Department of Environmental Quality (DEQ) notified Ontwa Township that it was in violation of two parts of the National Resources and Environmental Protection Act (NREPA) following a pair of raw or partially treated sewage discharges.

The discharges were Aug. 25 and Aug. 31.

According to a certified letter sent to Ontwa Township Supervisor John Brielmaier, “The discharge of raw or partially treated sewage from a sewer system onto land or into the waters of the state is a violation of Part 31 of the NREPA. The Ontwa Township Wastewater System operator failed to make the proper notifications to a daily newspaper of general circulation within 24 hours of the beginning of the discharge.

“The failure to make proper notifications is a violation of Part 31. The Ontwa Township Wastewater System operator failed to take samples from the affected water body or receive a waiver from the local health department in a timely manner. The failure to take samples or receive a waiver in a timely manner is a violation of Part 31.

“The discharge of raw or partially treated sewage from a sewer system may have been avoided if the lift station had been fully operational. The failure to properly operate and maintain a sewerage system is a violation of Park 41 of the NREPA.”

The violations have ceased according to the DEQ and the township has until Oct. 24 to respond to the notice of violations.

Among the items Ontwa is required to respond to are:

• A schedule for developing an emergency operations plan to efficiently deal with sanitary sewer overflows (SSO)

• An effective means of communication between the township (including contractors), residents, the local health department and the DEQ

• A training plan for properly handling and reporting of SSOs

• A plan and schedule to conduct an evaluation of all township owned lift stations

The spills were reportedly caused by a malfunctioning computer, which has since been replaced.

Messages left for Brielmaier and Tom Miller, area manager for Severn Trent, which operates the Edwardsburg Wastewater System, were not returned as of press time.