Judge signs consent decree in Hattiesburg wastewater settlement
Mayor Toby Barker discusses the settlement during an August news conference. (Source: WDAM)
By WDAM Staff | January 22, 2021 at 4:30 PM CST - Updated January 22 at 4:40 PM
HATTIESBURG, Miss. (WDAM) - A federal judge signed a consent decree Wednesday between the city of Hattiesburg and state and federal agencies over a longstanding issue with the city’s wastewater system.
The consent decree and the accompanying lawsuit, filed by the Environmental Protection Agency, were announced by Mayor Toby Barker on Aug. 26 after seven years of negotiations.
Negotiations began during former Mayor Johnny DuPree’s administration after a September 2012 EPA inspection noted unreported sanitary sewer overflows.