Clean Water Act discharge permit · NPDES MI0022322
BENTON HARBOR-ST JOSEPH WWTP, Saint Joseph, MI: NPDES MI0022322 discharge permit, effluent exceedances, inspections, penalties
- Administratively continuedPermit status
- MajorDischarger class
- 32Pollutants under a numeric limit
- 5Pollutants with an effluent exceedance
BENTON HARBOR-ST JOSEPH WWTP, held by Benton Harbor-St. Joseph Joint Board of Commissioners, holds NPDES permit MI0022322, which discharges to St. Joseph River. EPA’s file records it issued March 27, 2019 and expiring October 1, 2022. The status and dates are as EPA’s permit file stood when Velarion loaded it (October 14, 2026); EPA’s free Detailed Facility Report on ECHO carries the permit’s current standing.
Identity
| Facility as filed | BENTON HARBOR-ST JOSEPH WWTP |
|---|---|
| Permittee as filed | Benton Harbor-St. Joseph Joint Board of Commissioners |
| NPDES ID | MI0022322 |
| Permit status | Administratively continued (past its expiration date and still in force until reissued) |
| Permit type | Individual permit |
| Discharger class | Major discharger |
| Facility type | Publicly owned treatment works |
| Program | Publicly owned treatment works |
| Issued | March 27, 2019 |
| Expiration date | October 1, 2022 |
| Issuing agency | State |
| Address | Saint Joseph, MI 49085 |
| Receiving water | St. Joseph River |
| Receiving water impaired | 303(D) Listed |
| Subwatershed | Big Meadow Drain-Saint Joseph River (HUC 040500012608) |
| Program components on file | Biosolids, POTW, Pretreatment |
| NAICS | 221320 – Sewage Treatment Facilities |
| SIC | 4952 – Sewerage Systems |
| Other EPA IDs (FRS) | RCRA handler MIT270013535 |
Cited to the EPA ICIS-NPDES permit file (ECHO download) and EPA’s NAICS/SIC and component files, the same download; cross-program IDs from EPA’s FRS facility-registry crosswalk.
Effluent limits and exceedances
- 34Pollutants on file
- 32Under a numeric limit
- 27With a violation of any kind
- 5With an effluent exceedance
An effluent exceedance is a discharge monitoring report value over the permit’s numeric limit (EPA’s violation code E90). A violation of any kind also counts a report not filed. Each row is EPA’s own count for that pollutant.
| Pollutant or measure | Limits | Violations, any kind | Effluent exceedances | Latest exceedance | Largest exceedance, as filed |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Solids, total suspended | 4 | 56 | 8 | September 30, 2022 | 82% over the limit |
| Chlorine, total residual | 1 | 15 | 3 | January 31, 2025 | 99,999% over the limit |
| Phosphorus, total [as P] | 4 | 27 | 2 | March 31, 2004 | 38% over the limit |
| BOD, carbonaceous [5 day, 20 C] | 4 | 49 | 1 | January 31, 2020 | 142% over the limit |
| Coliform, fecal general | 2 | 27 | 1 | April 30, 2011 | 371% over the limit |
| Mercury, total [as Hg] | 6 | 154 | 0 | ||
| pH | 2 | 24 | 0 | ||
| Flow, in conduit or thru treatment plant | 2 | 24 | 0 | ||
| BOD, carb-5 day, 20 deg C, percent removal | 2 | 13 | 0 | ||
| Solids, suspended percent removal | 2 | 13 | 0 | ||
| Oxygen, dissolved [DO] | 1 | 12 | 0 | ||
| Solids, total | 3 | 3 | 0 | ||
| Arsenic, dry weight | 3 | 3 | 0 | ||
| Selenium, dry weight | 3 | 3 | 0 | ||
| Copper, dry weight | 3 | 3 | 0 | ||
| Cadmium, dry weight | 3 | 3 | 0 | ||
| Nitrogen, total Kjeldahl | 3 | 3 | 0 | ||
| Molybdenum, sludge, total, dry weight [as Mo] | 3 | 3 | 0 | ||
| Zinc, sludge, total, dry weight [as Zn] | 3 | 3 | 0 | ||
| Lead, sludge, total, dry weight [as Pb] | 3 | 3 | 0 | ||
| Nickel, sludge, total, dry weight [as Ni] | 3 | 3 | 0 | ||
| Nitrogen, sludge, total, dry weight [as N] | 3 | 3 | 0 | ||
| Mercury, sludge, total, dry weight [as Hg] | 3 | 3 | 0 | ||
| Potassium, sludge, total, dry weight [as K] | 3 | 3 | 0 | ||
| Phosphorus, sludge, total, dry weight [as P] | 3 | 3 | 0 | ||
| Chloride [as Cl] | 0 | 1 | 0 | ||
| Sulfate, total [as SO4] | 0 | 1 | 0 | ||
| Nitrogen, ammonia total [as N] | 12 | 0 | 0 | ||
| Perfluorooctanoic acid (PFOA) | 4 | 0 | 0 | ||
| Perfluorooctanesulfonate | 4 | 0 | 0 | ||
| Toxicity, choice of species | 2 | 0 | 0 | ||
| Static 48 Hr Chronic Pimphales Promelas | 2 | 0 | 0 | ||
| Toxicity [acute], Ceriodaphnia dubia | 1 | 0 | 0 | ||
| TU Static 24 Hr Acute Pimephales promelas | 1 | 0 | 0 |
Cited to the EPA ICIS-NPDES limits and effluent violations files (ECHO download); up to 60 rows shown, most exceedances first.
Inspections, violations and enforcement
- 9Single-event violations
| Date | What EPA recorded | Agency |
|---|---|---|
| September 22, 2025 | Failure to enforce standards, local limits, and reporting requirements (>15% SNC SIU) (Level II) | ST6 |
| September 26, 2024 | Failure to enforce standards, local limits, and reporting requirements (>15% SNC SIU) (Level II) | ST6 |
| April 4, 2024 | WW SSO - Discharge to Waters | ST6 |
| April 4, 2024 | Wet-weather SSO discharge to waters of the U.S. that may endanger health or the environment | ST6 |
| September 26, 2022 | Pretreatment - Failure to Enforce Against I/U | ST6 |
| September 26, 2022 | Pretreatment - Failure to Develop/Enforce Standards | ST6 |
| September 26, 2022 | Failure to enforce standards, local limits, and reporting requirements (>15% SNC SIU) (Level II) | ST6 |
| June 8, 2022 | Monitoring Violations - Analysis not Conducted | ST6 |
| May 12, 2021 | Monitoring Violations - Improper Analysis or Lab Error | ST6 |
Velarion’s copy of EPA’s ICIS-NPDES files does not include the inspections, formal enforcement actions and informal enforcement actions files, so this page shows none of them. EPA’s free Detailed Facility Report on ECHO lists this permit’s inspections, enforcement actions and penalties.
Cited to the EPA ICIS-NPDES violation, inspection and enforcement files (ECHO download); up to 50 rows of each shown, newest first.
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EPA publishes a free Detailed Facility Report for every permit on ECHO: its compliance status quarter by quarter, its inspections, and its enforcement actions and penalties. EPA also sends free notices of new inspections and enforcement actions through ECHO Notify; enter NPDES ID MI0022322 there.
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Figures from EPA’s ICIS-NPDES download, loaded October 14, 2026.