The U.S. Environmental Protection Agency has finalized an enforcement agreement aimed at reducing stormwater pollution from waste and recycling facilities across Massachusetts.

A consent agreement and final order was signed with E.L. Harvey and Sons, Trojan Recycling, Nauset Disposal Holdings, and Arrowhead Environmental Partners. Together, the companies operate seven waste processing and vehicle maintenance facilities in the state. According to federal regulators, those sites were discharging industrial stormwater into nearby rivers and ponds without the required Clean Water Act permits. The companies are indirect subsidiaries of Waste Connections U.S. Holdings.

The affected waterways include the Paskamansett River, Weweantic River, Salisbury Plain River, Hedges Pond, Seine Pond, and Bennetts Brook. Industrial facilities that discharge stormwater into these waters are required to obtain permit coverage designed to limit pollutants from entering surface waters.

As part of the settlement, all seven facilities have now applied for and received coverage under the federal Multi Sector General Permit for industrial stormwater discharges. The companies also agreed to pay a $170,000 civil penalty, as outlined in the consent agreement.

Massachusetts is one of the states where the federal government directly administers stormwater permitting under the Clean Water Act. Facilities covered by the general permit must submit a notice of intent, develop and follow a stormwater pollution prevention plan, and carry out inspections, monitoring, and sampling.

Regulators say these requirements are intended to reduce the risk of polluted runoff reaching rivers, ponds, and other surface waters, particularly during heavy rainfall.