Consent Decree

A Consent Decree issued by the United States Department of Justice in 2008 documents an agreement between the City of Fort Wayne, the Environmental Protection Agency (EPA), and the Indiana Department of Environmental Management (IDEM) for improving river water quality and reducing negative effects from Combined Sewer Overflow (CSO) events.

The Combined Sewer Overflow (CSO) Long-Term Control Plan (LTCP) for the City of Fort Wayne, which is incorporated into the Consent Decree, describes a water quality-based approach that will dramatically reduce the discharge of untreated CSOs, improve water quality in Fort Wayne’s CSO-impacted streams, is technically feasible, and is consistent with federal CSO Control Policy and associated Indiana guidance.