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Lawrenceville

Lawrence County, Illinois

Lawrenceville, a city of about 4,100 people and the county seat of Lawrence County, Illinois, sits along the Embarras River

The City of Lawrenceville operates both a Wastewater Treatment Plant and a Drinking Water Treatment Plant under the regulatory oversight of the Illinois EPA. The Wastewater Treatment Plant treats wastewater that is collected via the City’s sanitary sewer system and discharges the treated wastewater to the Embarras River pursuant to a National Pollutant Discharge Elimination System (NPDES) Permit issued by the Illinois EPA. The Drinking Water Treatment Plant treats water collected from four shallow groundwater wells and distributes clean drinking water to the City’s public water supply.

After a series of complaints and inspections, the Illinois EPA has issued the City of Lawrenceville four separate Violation Notices over a nine month period between August 2025 and April 2026. Three of the Violation Notices cite violations involving the Wastewater Treatment Plant, and the fourth Violation Notice cites violations involving the Drinking Water Treatment Plant and distribution system. Separate from the Violation Notices, the Illinois EPA also initiated an administrative sanctions action to revoke the wastewater treatment operator certification of the City’s Chief Wastewater Operator. In addition, the Illinois EPA placed Lawrenceville on the Critical Review List of Public Water Supplies for inadequate source capacity. What this means is that the Agency has determined that the system’s maximum daily demand is greater than 80% of the system’s pumping capacity if the largest well is out of service.

The sections below outline the details and documents for each Violation Notice and the actions taken by the Illinois EPA regarding the City of Lawrenceville.

 

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Violations & Enforcement

VIOLATION NOTICE W-2025-50145 - Wastewater Treatment Plant

VIOLATION NOTICE W-2025-50145 - Wastewater Treatment Plant

On August 13, 2025, the Illinois EPA issued a Violation Notice, after investigating sanitary sewer overflows, sewer line failures, and chronic reporting problems within the City of Lawrenceville’s wastewater system. The Illinois EPA also cited improper maintenance of the sewer system, inadequate operation and oversight, and multiple violations of the City’s NPDES permit.

The City of Lawrenceville entered into a Compliance Commitment Agreement with detailed steps it would take to return to compliance. The City is in the process of completing all required compliance activities under the Compliance Commitment Agreement.

VIOLATION NOTICE W-2025-50218 – Wastewater Treatment Plant

VIOLATION NOTICE W-2025-50218 – Wastewater Treatment Plant

The Illinois EPA issued an additional Violation Notice on November 26, 2025, after inspectors documented major operational, maintenance, and permit compliance failures at the City’s Wastewater Treatment Plant during a September 2025 inspection. Inspectors found treatment equipment that wasn’t working, improperly maintained clarifiers, debris and vegetation inside process units, laboratory practices that could compromise sample accuracy, and effluent violations at Outfall 001, the main discharge point. The Violation Notice also states the city failed to renew its required NPDES permit, resulting in unpermitted discharges beginning October 1, 2025. Illinois EPA Inspectors conducted multiple follow-up inspections during October and November 2025.

Between December 2025 and March 2026, the Illinois EPA and the City of Lawrenceville went through the formal violation notice process. The Illinois EPA received the City’s written response to the Violation Notice with a proposed Compliance Commitment Agreement on February 11, 2026, but on February 19, 2026, Illinois EPA notified the City it would not issue a Compliance Commitment Agreement due to the nature and seriousness of the violations. On March 13, 2026, the Illinois EPA sent a Notice of Intent to Pursue Legal Action to the City. On April 14, 2026, a meeting pursuant to the Notice of Intent to Pursue Legal Action was held in Springfield, wherein the Illinois EPA and City discussed the operational status of the Wastewater Treatment Plant and identified immediate steps for the City to take to work toward compliance with Illinois law and regulations.

This Violation Notice has been referred to the Illinois Attorney General’s Office for enforcement.

VIOLATION NOTICE W-2026-00001 – Public Water Supply

VIOLATION NOTICE W-2026-00001 – Public Water Supply

The Illinois EPA issued a Violation Notice on January 9, 2026, to the City of Lawrenceville regarding its Public Water Supply. In December 2025, Illinois EPA field operations personnel performed an inspection and sanitary survey of the Public Water Supply, and this inspection/survey served as the basis for the Violation Notice. This Violation Notice documented multiple leaking wellheads, inadequate system flushing, and the City’s use of treatment equipment which was installed and being used without the required construction or operating permits. The Violation Notice also noted the City’s Public Water Supply system failed to maintain proper fluoride and chlorine levels, failed to submit required monthly operating reports and/or specified drinking water monitoring results, and lacked an approved coliform sampling plan. Additional violations within the Violation Notice included missing or outdated cross connection control program elements, untested backflow devices, uncorrected sanitary survey deficiencies, failure to notify customers with potential lead service lines, and failure to submit required lead and copper treatment recommendations. The Violation Notice stated that these deficiencies showed significant lapses in maintenance, monitoring, permitting, and public health protections, prompting the Agency to issue the Violation Notice and require corrective action.

The City of Lawrenceville responded to the Violation Notice with proposed terms for a Compliance Commitment Agreement including the steps the City would take to get the violations corrected and return to compliance. The Illinois EPA was not satisfied with the proposal and issued a Notice of Non-Issuance of Compliance Commitment Agreement on March 9, 2026. On March 31, 2026, the Illinois EPA sent a Notice of Intent to Pursue Legal Action; and on May 6, 2026, the parties held a meeting to discuss the status of violations at the Drinking Water Treatment Plant and within the City’s Public Water Supply system.

This Violation Notice has been referred to the Illinois Attorney General’s Office for enforcement.

o   Sanitary Survey Report – December 23, 2025

o   Proposed Compliance Commitment Agreement – February 12,  2026

o   Notice of Non-Issuance of Compliance Commitment Agreement – March 9, 2026

o   Notice of Intent to Pursue Legal Action – March 31, 2026

VIOLATION NOTICE W-2026-50045 – Wastewater Treatment

VIOLATION NOTICE W-2026-50045 – Wastewater Treatment

The Illinois EPA issued a Violation Notice to the City of Lawrenceville on April 9, 2026, citing multiple sanitary sewer overflows, unpermitted discharges, and infrastructure problems at the Lawrenceville Wastewater Treatment Plant and within its wastewater collection system. During an inspection on April 2, 2026, Illinois EPA field operations personnel found evidence of a sewer line break that allowed raw sewage to reach a nearby creek, as well as an active and unpermitted discharge from the Wastewater Treatment Plant’s excess flow lagoon caused by a broken slide gate and an unsecured outfall cap. Inspectors also observed damaged collection system infrastructure, including a manhole with a broken concrete collar that contributed to overflow conditions. The Violation Notice states these issues resulted in the discharge of contaminants, water pollution, and offensive conditions in violation of State environmental law and regulations. For this Violation Notice, the City of Lawrenceville submitted a waiver of the requirements of Section 31 of the Illinois Environmental Protection Act. This waiver allowed the Illinois EPA to consolidate this Violation Notice with the other wastewater VN (W-2025-50218, November 2025) to refer both matters simultaneously to the Illinois Attorney General’s Office.

Revocation of Wastewater Operator Certificate

The Illinois EPA notified Lawrenceville’s Chief Wastewater Operator, Aaron M. Tipsword, on February 24, 2026, the Agency had begun formal sanction proceedings to revoke his wastewater operator certification. The Notice explained that the Agency had filed a Complaint for Sanctions outlining serious operational and compliance concerns at the Lawrenceville Wastewater Treatment Plant, reflecting on Tipsword’s ability to oversee the facility and comply with all environmental protection laws and regulations. The Notice explained the Operator had 21 days to respond to the Complaint or request a hearing. If the Operator failed to respond, the Illinois EPA would treat all allegations as true and could suspend or revoke the specified certification for a period between 18 months and 3 years.

The Operator did not respond by the deadline. As a result, on March 26, 2026, the Illinois EPA filed a motion asking the Hearing Officer to deem all allegations in the Complaint admitted and to move the case forward toward a final decision from the Director of the Illinois EPA.

On April 10, 2026, the Agency Hearing Officer issued a Proposal for Decision recommending that the Operator’s wastewater certification be revoked for three years. This was because the Operator failed to respond to the Illinois EPA’s Complaint which accused him of gross negligence, improper operation and maintenance of the wastewater treatment plant, and failure to maintain required records.

Effective May 20, 2026, the Illinois EPA revoked Operator Aaron M. Tipsword’s Class I Wastewater Treatment Works Operator certification for a period of three years, which is the maximum allowed by State law.

Current Wastewater Treatment Plant Supervision

To ensure proper oversight of the City’s Wastewater Treatment Plant, the City of Lawrenceville submitted a proposed contract with EJ Water Cooperative to the Illinois EPA on April 30, 2026. The Illinois EPA reviewed and approved this contract on May 11, 2026, formally authorizing EJ Water Cooperative to provide supervisory services for the Wastewater Treatment Plant.

Critical Review Status

On February 27, 2026, the Illinois EPA placed the City of Lawrenceville on its Critical Review List. The Critical Review List was developed to give additional notification to officials of public water supplies which may be close to being in violation of 35 Ill. Adm. Code, Subtitle F: Public Water Supplies, Chapter I or the Illinois Environmental Protection Act.

A public water supply will be placed on the Critical Review List when Agency records indicate that they are approaching any of the violations that would place them on the Restricted Status List. To learn more about Critical and Restricted Status, click here.

Resources

• Compliance and Enforcement Webpage: To better understand the Illinois EPA Compliance and Enforcement Procedures including the process, Compliance Commitment Agreements.

• Wastewater Compliance and Enforcement: Details on Illinois EPA wastewater inspections, NPDES permits, effluent standards, and enforcement actions.

• Drinking Water Compliance and Enforcement : Requirements for public water supplies, sanitary surveys, operator standards, and enforcement procedures.

• NPDES Permit Information: General information about National Pollutant Discharge Elimination System permits.
 

For more information, please contact the Illinois EPA Office of Community Relations. Additional documents not available on this webpage may be obtained through a Freedom of Information Act request or through IEPA Document Explorer.