West Virginia DEP issues enforcement order for Monarch Cloud Campus following stormwater permit violations
The West Virginia Department of Environmental Protection has issued an enforcement order to Monarch Cloud Campus, LLC for stormwater permit violations at its Mason County data center construction site. The violations led to flooding and sediment impacts on neighboring residential properties after heavy rainfall. Monarch Cloud Campus is required to immediately repair controls, install new ones, and cease land-disturbing work in non-compliant areas.
The West Virginia Department of Environmental Protection (WVDEP) has issued a unilateral enforcement order against Monarch Cloud Campus, LLC, following an investigation into stormwater permit violations at its data center construction site in Mason County, West Virginia.
The violations, which occurred after heavy rainfall on July 11 and also in late May, resulted in stormwater runoff and sediment impacting neighboring residential properties in the Point Pleasant area. Inspectors found that erosion and sediment controls were overwhelmed and that construction had begun in a separate drainage area without the necessary controls in place.
The enforcement order mandates that Monarch Cloud Campus immediately repair and reinforce existing stormwater controls, install additional measures where required, and stop all land-disturbing work in the non-compliant drainage area until proper controls are established and verified by the WVDEP. The company has also committed to working directly with affected homeowners to clean up and repair damages at no cost to residents.
WVDEP Cabinet Secretary Harold Ward emphasized that the department will take enforcement action when permit controls fail, or when work proceeds without required protections, to ensure problems are corrected and neighboring properties are protected. The WVDEP will continue to monitor the site for compliance and may pursue further enforcement if new violations occur.