Hanover Foods Pays $1.15M Penalty for Clean Water Act Violations
Summary
Hanover Foods Corporation agreed to pay a $1.15 million civil penalty and implement corrective actions at its Hanover, PA wastewater treatment facility following over 600 NPDES permit violations since November 2016. The settlement, filed in the U.S. District Court for the Middle District of Pennsylvania, addresses discharges exceeding temperature limits and other permit conditions affecting a tributary of Codorus Creek in the Chesapeake Bay watershed. Compliance measures include facility upgrades, enhanced monitoring, and corrective action protocols.
“Under the settlement, Hanover agreed to pay a $1.15 million civil penalty and take a series of actions to address the violations at its wastewater treatment facility.”
Food processing facilities with NPDES permits should review their temperature discharge monitoring data and treatment system maintenance records. The enforcement history here—600+ violations over eight years—reflects both the scale of non-compliance and EPA's sustained attention to Chesapeake Bay watershed protection. Companies with similar food processing wastewater profiles should assess whether their cooling water systems, clarifiers, and ultraviolet disinfection systems meet permit operational conditions.
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What changed
The consent decree requires Hanover Foods to pay a $1.15 million civil penalty and take a series of actions to address alleged violations, including upgrading its wastewater treatment facility, closely monitoring compliance with its NPDES permit, reporting any violations, identifying root causes, and taking corrective actions. The company has already installed a heat exchanger and a temporary boiler. Additional required measures include conducting a weir survey, implementing a spare parts program for its ultraviolet system, and adopting a new standard operating procedure requiring a slow down or shut down of operations if wastewater temperatures approach permit limits.
Food processing companies with NPDES permits should review their wastewater treatment compliance programs and temperature discharge limits. The 600+ violations documented here over an eight-year period demonstrate the enforcement focus on industrial discharges affecting the Chesapeake Bay watershed. Companies with similar permit conditions should audit their treatment facility operations, cooling systems, and monitoring protocols to identify and address potential violations before EPA action.
Penalties
$1.15 million civil penalty
Archived snapshot
Apr 23, 2026GovPing captured this document from the original source. If the source has since changed or been removed, this is the text as it existed at that time.
Hanover Foods Corporation CWA Settlement Summary
Settlement Resources
- Press Release
- Hanover Consent Decree (pdf) (1.83 MB)
- Hanover Complaint (pdf) (1.74 MB)
On November 18th, 2025, the Environmental Protection Agency, Department of Justice, Pennsylvania Department of Environmental Protection, and Lower Susquehanna Riverkeeper Association reached a settlement agreement with Hanover Foods Corporation for wastewater discharge permit violations under the Clean Water Act.
Under the settlement, Hanover agreed to pay a $1.15 million civil penalty and take a series of actions to address the violations at its wastewater treatment facility. Hanover Foods’ compliance with its National Pollutant Discharge Elimination System permit will ensure that nutrients and other pollutants don’t end up in nearby waterways that flow down to the Chesapeake Bay.
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About Hanover Foods Corporation
Hanover Foods Corporation is a large, independent food processing company based in Hanover, Pennsylvania. It was founded in 1924 and produces a variety of canned, frozen, and snack food products. The company is known for its wide range of products sold under its own brand and others.
Summary of Violations
On over 600 occasions since November 2016, Hanover Foods violated its NPDES permit that regulates discharges from the company’s Hanover, PA wastewater treatment facility into a tributary of Codorus Creek that feeds into the Susquehanna River in the Chesapeake Bay watershed. The discharge limitations in the NPDES permit include temperature limits, as well as limits on ammonia, nitrogen, and phosphorus discharges to meet downstream water quality standards in the Chesapeake Bay. The pollution into these waterways heavily impacts recreational uses, including kayaking, fishing, and birdwatching, along with economic livelihoods of local businesses.
Environmental inspections identified numerous alleged violations at the wastewater treatment facility, including:
- Discharges of water exceeding permit discharge limitations, particularly temperature limits.
- Floating solids and visible scum in wastewater entering the receiving water.
- Violations of the permit’s operation and maintenance conditions, including requirements pertaining to the treatment facility’s cooling water magmeter vault, anaerobic digesters, clarifiers, lagoons, polishing ponds, and ultraviolet system.
Summary of Health and Environmental Benefits
As a result of this settlement, the environmental benefit associated with improvements to Hanover’s food processing facility and discharge will result in a reduction to temperature, bacteria, total suspended solids, phosphorus, ammonia, cadmium and BOD in the receiving water. This will help safeguard the Chesapeake Bay and ensure that local water sources remain clean and healthy, further promoting recreational and economic use.
Overview of the Consent Decree
The proposed consent decree requires Hanover Foods to pay a $1.15 million penalty and take a series of actions to address the alleged violations, including upgrading to the wastewater treatment facility, closely monitoring compliance with its NPDES permit, reporting any violations, identifying root causes of the violations, and taking corrective actions.
The company has already installed a heat exchanger and a temporary boiler. In addition, Hanover Foods will also conduct a weir survey, implement a spare parts program for its ultraviolet system, and adopt a new standard operating procedure requiring a slow down or shut down of operations if wastewater temperatures approach permit limits.
Comment Period
The proposed consent decree, lodged in the United States District Court for the Middle District of Pennsylvania, is subject to a thirty-day comment period and final court approval. Information on submitting comment and access to the settlement agreement is available on the Justice Department’s Proposed Consent Decree webpage.
Contact Information
For further information about this settlement, please contact:
Natalie Katz
Senior Assistant Regional Counsel
EPA Region 3
Katz.Natalie@epa.gov
Barak Kamelgard
Office of Civil Enforcement
Office of Enforcement and Compliance Assurance
Kamelgard.Barak@epa.gov
Enforcement
Contact Us about Enforcement Contact Us about Enforcement to ask a question, provide feedback, or report a problem. Last updated on November 18, 2025
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