Hartland and Hollandale Fined for Wastewater Permit Violations

MN MPCA News

Filed March 3rd, 2026

Detected March 19th, 2026

Summary

The cities of Hartland and Hollandale have been fined a total of $24,169 by the Minnesota Pollution Control Agency (MPCA) for municipal wastewater permit violations. Violations included submitting false data, missing data, and late reports, leading to the revocation of their wastewater operator's certification. Both cities must also agree to cease falsifying data and implement plans for timely sampling and reporting.

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What changed

The Minnesota Pollution Control Agency (MPCA) has issued fines totaling $24,169 to the cities of Hartland ($12,061) and Hollandale ($12,108) for violations of their municipal wastewater permits. The violations specifically included submitting false data, missing required data, and failing to file discharge monitoring reports on time. As a direct consequence, the MPCA has revoked the certification of the wastewater treatment operator employed by both cities.

In addition to paying the fines, the cities have agreed to cease falsifying data, submit plans to ensure compliance with sampling requirements, and establish procedures for timely submission of all discharge monitoring reports. They must also ensure that a certified wastewater operator is always operating their facilities. The MPCA emphasizes that such violations can harm human health and the environment, and penalties are calculated based on the severity of the impact, history of violations, and any economic benefit gained by non-compliance.

What to do next

Cease falsifying wastewater data.
Submit a plan for compliant sampling.
Submit a plan for timely discharge monitoring reports.

Penalties

Hartland fined $12,061; Hollandale fined $12,108. Revocation of wastewater operator certification.

Source document (simplified)

News release

March 3, 2026

Contact

MPCA communications, news.mpca@state.mn.us

Hartland and Hollandale fined for wastewater permit violations

The city of Hartland was fined $12,061 and the city of Hollandale was fined $12,108 for municipal wastewater violations. An investigation by the Minnesota Pollution Control Agency (MPCA) found that both cities submitted false data to the MPCA, were missing data, and did not file discharge monitoring reports on time. The falsification of data led the MPCA to revoke the certification of the wastewater treatment operator that both cities employed.

In addition to paying the fines, the cities agreed to:

cease falsifying data
submit a plan to take samples in accordance with the facilities’ permits
submit a plan to ensure that all discharge monitoring reports are submitted in a timely fashion
ensure a certified wastewater operator is operating the facilities MPCA rules and regulations are designed to protect human health and the environment by limiting pollution emissions and discharges from facilities. When companies do not fully comply with regulatory requirements, the resulting pollution can be harmful to people and the environment.

When calculating penalties, the MPCA considers how seriously the violations affected or could have affected the environment, and whether they were first-time or repeat violations. The agency also attempts to recover the economic benefit the regulated party gained by failing to comply with environmental laws in a timely manner.