Unalaska, AK – The Environmental Protection Agency and the City of Unalaska are negotiating a fine agreement. The EPA initially fined the city for over $1 million because of violations at the water treatment plant. City Manager Chris Hladick said they two entities had disagreements over the treatment plant's permit. The EPA acknowledged that they initially made a mistake in the permit.

"EPA had originally agreed to amend the permit and then the permit failed," Hladick explained. "The amendment was withdrawn because the Fish & Wildlife Service indicated that EPA had not consulted with them about endangered species, the Stellar's eider, so that was withdrawn off the table and then all the sudden we got notification of all the fines were were gonna get."

They have now negotiated the fines down to $86,000 and the city is working with the state to develop a new permit. Hladick said the city will need to upgrade the plant once they know the new permit's requirements. The new plant, which could cost multiple millions of dollars, would send fewer pollutants into the water. Bristol Environmental was contracted to design the new plant several years ago, but the city wanted to wait until they knew the requirements of the new permit.