Citizens Need Kept Abreast of City's Infrastructure Planning
The EPA reports that about 772 communities in the United States have combined sewer systems, serving about 40 million people. CSO discharges during heavy storms can cause serious water polution problems in these communities. Pollutants from CSO discharges can include bacteria and other pathogens, toxic chemicals, and debris. The U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) issued a policy in 1994 requiring municipalities to make improvements to reduce or eliminate CSO-related pollution problems. In 2000, Congress amended the Clean Water Act to require the municipalities to comply with the EPA policy.
Some U.S. cities have undertaken sewer separation projects—building a second piping system for all or part of the community. In many of these projects, cities have been able to separate only portions of their combined systems. High costs or physical limitations may preclude building a completely separate system. What are the City of Huntington’s plans to mitigate this infrastructure issue? If we had funding, what course of action is physically possible? Are there written plans for the best possible long-term solution? Is there a current cost estimate for implementation? An informed citizenry will support our governmental leaders, if kept abreast of on-going efforts in planning to rebuild our infrastructure. If additional stimulus money, or other federal funds, become available in the future, will we be ready to build?
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