PITTSBURGH — Consol Energy has agreed to pay $3 million to settle a claim that its Bailey coal mining complex in southwestern Pennsylvania repeatedly polluted nearby streams beyond what’s permitted under federal and state law.

The Justice Department filed the federal lawsuit on behalf of the Environmental Protection Agency and the Pennsylvania Department of Environmental Protection.

As part of the settlement, the energy company also agreed to make improvements to prevent contaminated discharges of mining wastewater from the Bailey Mine Complex in Greene and Washington counties to the Ohio River and its tributaries.

“Today’s settlement ensures that our rivers remain safe for future generations to use and enjoy,” said U.S. Attorney David Hickton for the Western District of Pennsylvania.

Consol spokesman Brian Aiello issued a statement saying the company responded to pollution problems before 2011 and “proactively identified the issue and invested millions of dollars in comprehensive, technology-based water management solutions to ensure continued environmental compliance.”

The lawsuit contended two of the mine’s water discharges exceeded daily pollution limits 188 times and the monthly limit 170 times from January 2006 through June 2015.

The illegal pollution fouled streams near coal washing operations and slurry ponds near the Bailey, Enlow Fork and Bailey mines in Greene and Washington counties.