Untreated wastewater and sludge from the greater Boston metropolitan area has been discharged to Boston Harbor in violation of federal law since 1972. After several cooperative efforts to plan for new treatment facilities failed, EPA took an enforcement action in Federal District court against the local sewer authority. Concurrently, and in close cooperation with the local sewer authority, EPA initiated an environmental review and siting process for new facilities, including sludge management facilities. EPA's concurrent planning and enforcement efforts had positive results in that they encouraged early sharing of information between parties to the court case, motivated dispute resolution outside of court (because parties knew that unresolved disputes would be decided by the Court) and ensured that necessary work would be completed according to established schedules.