Twenty-three thousand gallons of raw sewage overflow. Excess ammonia seeping into nearby waters. Missed requirements and botched samples.
A recent draft settlement released by the Idaho Department of Environmental Quality sheds light on violations by an aging sewer treatment plant run by the city of Kuna dating back to 2022. And it proposes fining the city $11,000, down from an initial $113,000, to get the problems resolved.
If finalized, the settlement would require the city to pay the penalty and get back into compliance with its permit with DEQ. That includes getting ammonia and residual chlorine runoff — which flows into Indian Creek, a tributary of the Boise River — under DEQ’s limits. It also means reporting things like raw sewage overflows in a timely manner…