LEWES — The Delaware Department of Natural Resources and Environmental Control issued a Notice of Violation on Thursday to the Donovan Smith Mobile Home Park, LLC in Lewes for ongoing violations of the state’s laws governing wastewater treatment and disposal systems.

The manufactured home community’s onsite wastewater treatment system was found by DNREC to be out of compliance, thus posing risks to public health and the environment.

The surfacing wastewater poses public health exposure concerns and contributes to groundwater pollution.

Routine monitoring of the onsite drinking water system shows that the community drinking water wells so far have not been impacted by the ongoing wastewater compliance issues.

“This action follows several months of work to document the ongoing onsite wastewater treatment and disposal violations at the Donovan Smith Manufactured Home Community,” said DNREC Secretary Shawn M. Garvin in a statement.

“It sets enforceable deadlines to fix the issue for residents in this community and push the improved sewer connection project forward, the first project under an important plan to address wastewater and drinking water issues in underserved communities throughout Delaware.”

DNREC has been working with the Department of Health and Social Services and the Delaware Housing Authority to develop a priority list for underserved communities that have water and wastewater issues.

The project for the Donovan Smith Manufactured Home Community aims to end water pollution at the site by eventually tying the community’s wastewater discharge into the city of Lewes central sewer system.

The Notice of Violation (NOV) documents ongoing noncompliance at the manufactured home community and establishes deadlines for Donovan Smith MHP, LLC to correct the problem and move forward on the sewer connection with financing from the underserved communities initiative administered by DNREC and DHSS.

To eliminate risks to public health and the environment, the NOV calls for interim actions including cordoning off areas where wastewater surfacing has occurred in the manufactured home community, and a mandatory pumping of the community septic system to mitigate further wastewater surfacing and groundwater pollution within the community while Donovan Smith moves toward the sewer connection, working with the city of Lewes Board of Public Works.