A 30-day notice issued by the City of Erie against Erie Coke for wastewater violations has expired. A cease and desist order is now in effect.

According to City Solicitor Ed Betza, Erie Coke is not permitted to put industrial wastewater into the municipal sewer system. Betza says the company is working towards compliance but total compliance has not yet been obtained.

Betza says Erie Coke must truck its wastewater away until the company is in compliance.

Betza says he is scheduling a meeting with representatives of Erie Coke for Wednesday or Thursday to discuss the progress the company is making.

Meanwhile, Ed Nesselbeck, Environmental Manager for Erie Coke, issued this statement to Erie News Now.

Four weeks ago, the DEP allowed us to put our equalization tank (Tank 101) back in line. (they had prohibited that since the leak last April even though it was repaired and passed the integrity pressure test in May). Without the equalization tank, the system cannot work. Since putting it tank back in service, we have made steady progress toward a compliance discharge.
Currently we are at a compliance-level discharge with a reduced flow as it takes quite a while for the re-introduced microbes to establish themselves.
Our contingent plan regarding the wastewater has been discharge what can at compliance levels, store some onsite until the system is up to full compliance and ship the balance offsite for regulated disposal.