Document ID: s3://data.kl3m.ai/documents/govinfo/USCOURTS/USCOURTS-caed-2_19-cv-01252/USCOURTS-caed-2_19-cv-01252-2/pdf.json

Parties Involved:
California Sportfishing Protection Alliance
Plaintiff
City of Colusa
Defendant

Document Text:

CONSENT DECREE 1 2:19-cv-01252-KJN

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ANDREW L. PACKARD (State Bar No. 168690)

WILLIAM N. CARLON (State Bar No. 305739)

Law Offices of Andrew L. Packard

245 Kentucky Street, Suite B3

Petaluma, CA 94952

Tel: (707) 782-4060

Fax: (707) 782-4062

E-mail: andrew@packardlawoffices.com

wncarlon@packardlawoffices.com

Attorneys for Plaintiff

CALIFORNIA SPORTFISHING

PROTECTION ALLIANCE

UNITED STATES DISTRICT COURT

EASTERN DISTRICT OF CALIFORNIA

CALIFORNIA SPORTFISHING 

PROTECTION ALLIANCE, a non-profit 

corporation,

Plaintiff,

vs.

CITY OF COLUSA,

Defendant.

Case No. 2:19-cv-01252-KJN

CONSENT DECREE

(Federal Water Pollution Control Act,

33 U.S.C. §§ 1251 to 1387)

I. STIPULATIONS

WHEREAS, Plaintiff California Sportfishing Protection Alliance (hereinafter 

“CSPA”) is a non-profit public benefit corporation dedicated to the preservation, protection, 

and defense of the environment, wildlife, and natural resources of California’s waters;

WHEREAS, Defendant City of Colusa (hereinafter the “City” or “Defendant”) owns

and operates the City of Colusa Wastewater Treatment Plant (the “Facility”), located at 2820 

Will S. Green Road, Colusa, California;

WHEREAS, CSPA and Defendant collectively shall be referred to as the “Parties;”

WHEREAS, the Facility provides sewer treatment services to a population of 

approximately 6,000 and discharges treated effluent at Discharge Point 001 into an unnamed 

tributary to Powell Slough, which is a water of the United States and a tributary to the Colusa 

Case 2:19-cv-01252-KJN Document 18 Filed 01/07/20 Page 1 of 10
CONSENT DECREE 2 2:19-cv-01252-KJN

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Basin Drain;

WHEREAS, effluent discharges from the Facility into surface water are regulated 

pursuant to the National Pollutant Discharge Elimination System (“NPDES”) Permit 

No. CA0078999, State Water Resources Control Board (“State Board”) Waste Discharge 

Requirements for the City of Colusa Wastewater Treatment Plant Colusa County, Order No. 

R5-2016-0062-01, as amended by Order No. R5-2018-0018 (“Amended 2016 NPDES 

Permit”), which amended Order No. R5-2016-0062, which rescinded the prior operative 

permit, Order No. R5-2008-0184 (collectively the “NPDES Permits”);

WHEREAS, on or about April 26, 2019, Plaintiff provided notice of Defendant’s

violations of the Act, and of its intention to file suit against Defendant to the Administrator of 

the United States Environmental Protection Agency (“EPA”); the Administrator of EPA 

Region IX; the U.S. Attorney General; the Executive Director of the State Board; the 

Executive Officer of the Regional Water Quality Control Board, Central Valley Region 

(“Regional Board”); and to Defendant, as required by the Act, 33 U.S.C. § 1365(b)(1)(A) (a 

true and correct copy of CSPA’s Notice Letter is attached hereto as Exhibit A and 

incorporated herein by reference);

WHEREAS, Defendant denies the occurrence of the violations alleged in the Notice

Letter and maintains that the City has complied at all times with the provisions of its NPDES

Permits and the Clean Water Act or, alternatively, that there are no “ongoing and continuous” 

violations of the NPDES Permits or the Act;

WHEREAS, the Parties agree that it is in their mutual interest to resolve this matter 

as to all entities and persons named in the Notice Letter without further litigation and enter 

into this Consent Decree;

WHEREAS, on or about July 5, 2019, CSPA filed a complaint against the City in the 

United States District Court, Eastern District of California (this matter is hereinafter referred 

to as “the Action”);

WHEREAS, for purposes of this Consent Decree only, the Parties stipulate that 

venue is proper in this Court, and that Defendant does not contest the exercise of jurisdiction 

Case 2:19-cv-01252-KJN Document 18 Filed 01/07/20 Page 2 of 10
CONSENT DECREE 3 2:19-cv-01252-KJN

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by this Court to dismiss this matter with prejudice under the terms of this Consent Decree;

WHEREAS, within five (5) calendar days of the Parties’ mutual execution, this 

Consent Decree shall be submitted to the United States Department of Justice for the 45-day 

statutory review period, pursuant to 33 U.S.C. § 1365(c);

WHEREAS, at the time the Consent Decree is submitted to the United States 

Department of Justice for the 45-day statutory review period, the Parties shall file with the 

Court a Joint Motion for Entry of Consent Decree; 

THEREFORE, CSPA and the City stipulate to entry of this Consent Decree without 

trial regarding CSPA’s claims or allegations set forth in its complaint and Notice Letter. 

DATED this October __, 2019

CITY OF COLUSA CALIFORNIA SPORTFISHING 

PROTECTION ALIANCE

By_/s/Jesse Cain ___________________ By_/s/James H. Crenshaw_____________

Title: City Manager, City of Colusa_____ Title: President, CSPA_______________

II. ORDER AND DECREE

THIS MATTER came before the Court upon the Parties’ Joint Motion for Entry of 

Consent Decree and the foregoing Stipulations of the parties. Having considered the 

Stipulations and the promises set forth below, the Court hereby ORDERS, ADJUDGES, and 

DECREES as follows:

1. This court has jurisdiction over the parties and subject matter of this action.

2. Each signator for the parties certifies for that party that he or she is authorized 

to enter into the agreements set forth below and have read, understood and agreed to be 

bound by all of the terms and conditions of this Consent Decree.

3. This Consent Decree applies to the operation, oversight, or both, by Defendant 

of its Facility.

4. This Consent Decree applies to and binds the parties and their successors and 

assigns.

Case 2:19-cv-01252-KJN Document 18 Filed 01/07/20 Page 3 of 10
CONSENT DECREE 4 2:19-cv-01252-KJN

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5. This Consent Decree is a full and complete settlement of the claims in the 

complaint and all other claims known and unknown existing as of the date of entry of this 

Consent Decree that could be asserted under the Notice Letter, arising from operations of the 

Facility. These claims are released and dismissed with prejudice. Enforcement of this decree 

is CSPA’s exclusive remedy for any violation of its terms. 

6. This Consent Decree is a settlement of disputed facts and law. It is not an 

admission or adjudication regarding any allegations by CSPA in this case or of any fact or 

conclusion of law related to those allegations. 

7. The City of Colusa agrees to the following terms and conditions in full and 

complete satisfaction of the claims covered by this Consent Decree:

Compliance with the NPDES Permits and the Clean Water Act. Throughout the term of 

this Consent Decree, the City shall continue implementing all measures needed to operate the 

Facility in compliance with the requirements of the Waste Discharge Requirements for the 

City of Colusa Wastewater Treatment Plant Colusa County, Order No. 2016-0062-01,

NPDES Permit No. CA0078999, and the Clean Water Act, subject to any defenses available 

under the law.

a. Communications To/From Regional and State Water Boards. 

During the term of this Agreement, the City shall provide CSPA with copies of all progress 

reports and compliance status reports and studies submitted to the Regional Water Board or 

the State Water Board concerning effluent discharges from the Facility as required by the 

Facility’s NPDES Permit and which are directly related to the City’s recycled water project 

and receiving water temperature studies. Such documents and reports shall be provided to 

CSPA pursuant to the Notice provisions set forth below and contemporaneously with the 

City’s submission(s) to, or, receipt from, such agencies.

b. Communications to the State Revolving Fund. 

During the term of this Agreement, the City shall provide CSPA with copies of all progress 

reports and compliance status reports submitted to the State Revolving Fund concerning the 

City’s recycled water project. 

Case 2:19-cv-01252-KJN Document 18 Filed 01/07/20 Page 4 of 10
CONSENT DECREE 5 2:19-cv-01252-KJN

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8. CSPA agrees to withdraw their public records request filed with the City of 

Colusa on August 21, 2019. 

9. As mitigation to address any potential harms from the Clean Water Act 

violations alleged in CSPA’s complaint, Defendant shall pay Thirty Five Thousand and 

00/100 Dollars ($35,000) to the Rose Foundation for Communities and the Environment 

(“Rose Foundation”) for a grant to fund research to study pollutants related to waste water 

treatment plants and water quality in Powell Slough, the Colusa Basin Drain, the Sacramento 

River, and the Sacramento-San Joaquin River Delta. The mitigation payment shall be 

remitted directly to the Rose Foundation at: Rose Foundation, Attn: Tim Little, 201 4th 

Street, Suite 102, Oakland, CA 94607 within ten days of the entry of this Consent Decree. 

10. To defray CSPA’s reasonable investigative, expert, consultant, and attorneys’ 

fees and costs, and all other costs incurred as a result of investigating the activities at the 

Facility, bringing the action, and negotiating a resolution of this action in the public interest, 

Defendant agrees to pay Forty Thousand and 00/100 Dollars ($40,000.00). Payment shall be 

made payable to the “Law Offices of Andrew L. Packard Attorney Client Trust Account” and 

remitted to the firm within ten days of the entry of this Consent Decree. 

11. This court retains jurisdiction over this matter. And, while this Consent 

Decree remains in force, this case may be reopened without filing fee so that the parties may 

apply to the Court for any further order that may be necessary to enforce compliance with 

this decree or to resolve any dispute regarding the terms or conditions of this decree. In the 

event of a dispute regarding implementation of, or compliance with, this decree, the Parties 

shall meet and confer within seven days of receiving written notification from the other Party 

of a request for a meeting to determine whether a breach has occurred and to develop a 

mutually agreed upon plan, including implementation dates, to resolve the dispute. If the 

Parties fail to meet and confer, or the meet-and-confer does not resolve the issue, after at 

least seven days have passed after the meet-and-confer occurred or should have occurred,

either party may file a motion with this court to enforce the terms and conditions of this 

Consent Decree. The Parties shall be entitled to seek attorneys’ fees and costs incurred in 

Case 2:19-cv-01252-KJN Document 18 Filed 01/07/20 Page 5 of 10
CONSENT DECREE 6 2:19-cv-01252-KJN

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any such motion, and such fees and costs shall be awarded, pursuant to the provisions set 

forth in the then-applicable federal Clean Water Act and Rule 11 of the Federal Rules of 

Civil Procedure, and applicable case law interpreting such provisions.

12. The Parties recognize that, pursuant to 33 U.S.C. § 1365(c)(3), no consent 

judgment can be entered in a Clean Water Act suit in which the United States is not a party 

prior to forty-five days following the receipt of a copy of the proposed consent judgment by 

the U.S. Attorney General and the Administrator of the U.S. EPA. Therefore, within five 

days of mutual execution of the Consent Decree by the Parties, CSPA shall have served

copies of the executed Consent Decree upon the U.S. Attorney General and the 

Administrator of the U.S. EPA. The parties have represented to the Court that the Consent 

Decree was in fact served on these entities, and that “[o]n December 20, 2019, the DOJ 

informed the Parties that it did not object to the terms of the Consent Decree.” (See ECF No. 

15 at p. 2.)

13. This Consent Decree takes effect upon entry by the court. It terminates two 

years after the court enters the Consent Decree. 

14. Upon the entry of this Consent Decree, CSPA, on its own behalf and on behalf 

of its members, subsidiaries, successors, assigns, directors, officers, agents, attorneys, 

representatives, and employees, releases Defendant and its officers, directors, employees, 

shareholders, parents, subsidiaries, and affiliates, and each of its predecessors, successors and 

assigns, and each of their agents, attorneys, consultants, and other representatives (each a 

“Released Defendant Party”) from, and waives all claims which arise from or pertain to the 

Action, including, without limitation, all claims for injunctive relief, damages, penalties, 

fines, sanctions, mitigation, fees (including fees of attorneys, experts, and others), costs, 

expenses or any other sum incurred or claimed or which could have been claimed in this 

Action, for the alleged failure of Defendant to comply with the Clean Water Act at the 

Facility, up to the date on which the court enters the Consent Decree. 

15. Defendant, on its own behalf and on behalf of any Released Defendant Party

under its control, releases CSPA (and its officers, directors, employees, members, parents, 

Case 2:19-cv-01252-KJN Document 18 Filed 01/07/20 Page 6 of 10
CONSENT DECREE 7 2:19-cv-01252-KJN

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subsidiaries, and affiliates, and each of their successors and assigns, and its agents, attorneys, 

and other representatives) from, and waives all claims which arise from or pertain to the 

Action, including all claims for fees (including fees of attorneys, experts, and others), costs, 

expenses or any other sum incurred or claimed or which could have been claimed for matters 

associated with or related to the Action. 

16. The Consent Decree may be executed in one or more counterparts which, 

taken together, shall be deemed to constitute one and the same document. An executed copy 

of this Consent Decree shall be valid as an original. 

17. In the event that any one of the provisions of this Consent Decree is held by a 

court to be unenforceable, the validity of the enforceable provisions shall not be adversely 

affected.

18. The language in all parts of this Consent Decree, unless otherwise stated, shall 

be construed according to its plain and ordinary meaning. This Consent Decree shall be 

construed pursuant to the law of the United Sates, without regard to choice of law principles.

19. All agreements, covenants, representations and warranties, express or implied, 

oral or written, of the Parties concerning the subject matter of this Consent Decree are 

contained herein. This Consent Decree and its attachments are made for the sole benefit of 

the Parties, and no other person or entity shall have any rights or remedies under or by reason 

of this Consent Decree, unless otherwise expressly provided for therein.

20. Notices. Any notices or documents required or provided for by this Consent 

Decree or related thereto that are to be provided to CSPA pursuant to this Agreement shall be 

hand-delivered or sent by U.S. Mail, postage prepaid, and addressed as follows or, in the 

alternative, shall be sent by electronic mail transmission to the email addresses listed below:

William Jennings, Executive Director

California Sportfishing Protection Alliance

3536 Rainer Avenue

Stockton, California 95204

Tel: (209) 464-5067

E-mail: deltakeep@me.com

With copies sent to:

Case 2:19-cv-01252-KJN Document 18 Filed 01/07/20 Page 7 of 10
CONSENT DECREE 8 2:19-cv-01252-KJN

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Andrew L. Packard

William N. Carlon

Law Offices of Andrew L. Packard

245 Kentucky Street, Suite B3

Petaluma, California 94952

Tel: (707) 782-4060

E-mail: andrew@packardlawoffices.com

 wncarlon@packardlawoffices.com

Any notices or documents required or provided for by this Agreement or related thereto that 

are to be provided to Defendant pursuant to this Agreement shall be sent by U.S. Mail, 

postage prepaid, and addressed as follows or, in the alternative, shall be sent by electronic 

mail transmission to the email addresses listed below:

Jesse Cain, City Manager

City of Colusa

425 Webster Street

Colusa, CA 95932

Email: citymanager@cityofcolusa.com

With copies sent to:

Ryan R. Jones

Jones & Mayer

6349 Auburn Blvd.

Citrus Heights, CA 95621

E-mail: rrj@jones-mayer.com

Each Party shall promptly notify the other of any change in the above-listed contact 

information.

21. Signatures of the Parties transmitted by facsimile or email shall be deemed 

binding.

22. If for any reason the Court should decline to enter this Consent Decree in the 

form presented and without further briefing, the Parties shall use their best efforts to work 

together to modify the Agreement within thirty days so that it is acceptable to the Court. If 

the Parties are unable to modify this Consent Decree in a mutually acceptable manner, or if 

the Court should require further briefing, this Consent Decree is voidable at the discretion of 

either party.

23. This Consent Decree shall be deemed to have been drafted equally by the 

Parties, and shall not be interpreted for or against any Settling Party on the ground that any 

Case 2:19-cv-01252-KJN Document 18 Filed 01/07/20 Page 8 of 10
CONSENT DECREE 9 2:19-cv-01252-KJN

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such party drafted it.

24. This Consent Decree and the attachments contain all of the terms and 

conditions agreed upon by the Parties relating to the matters covered by the Consent Decree, 

and supersede any and all prior and contemporaneous agreements, negotiations, 

correspondence, understandings, and communications of the Parties, whether oral or written, 

respecting the matters covered by this Consent Decree.

25. This Consent Decree may be amended or modified only by a writing signed 

by the Parties, subject to review by the U.S. Attorney General and the Administrator of the 

U.S. EPA pursuant to 33 U.S.C. § 1365(c)(3), and upon approval of the Court. 

Dated: January 6, 2020

CSPA.1252

Case 2:19-cv-01252-KJN Document 18 Filed 01/07/20 Page 9 of 10
CONSENT DECREE 10 2:19-cv-01252-KJN

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EXHIBIT A – CWA Notice of Violation and Intent to Sue Letter

Case 2:19-cv-01252-KJN Document 18 Filed 01/07/20 Page 10 of 10