The city of Blue Lake has agreed to keep a closer eye on whether any of its treated sewage might be seeping into the Mad River. It will also spiff up its sewage treatment ponds, repairing dikes and adding more aerators to provide oxygen for crud-gobbling microbes.

That's all part of a settlement reached late last month with the environmental group River Watch, which had threatened to sue.

The deal commits Blue Lake to sampling water quality in the Mad River upstream and downstream from its percolation ponds. The city also agreed to study whether it should create special rates for big industrial users, including a casino and a brewery.