10/4/2006
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City Finalizes Sewer Plan, Agreement Filed in Federal Court
INDIANAPOLIS - The city’s agreement with state and federal agencies on a 20-year plan to reduce raw sewage overflows was formalized today with the filing of a consent decree in U.S. District Court.
With the filing of the decree, a seven-year-old civil rights complaint against the city also will be dropped by Improving Kids’ Environment and four other organizations: Concerned Clergy of Indianapolis, Mapleton-Fall Creek Neighborhood Association, Sierra Club, and Hoosier Environmental Council.
“We believe that the plan presented today is sufficient to resolve the civil rights concerns we raised and have so notified EPA,” said IKE President Richard M. Van Frank. “We also believe that the plan, when implemented, will significantly reduce sewer overflows and thus reduce risk to public health from waterborne diseases. Reducing sewer overflows will also improve the quality of life in the neighborhoods adjoining streams flowing through the city.”
Today’s filing asks the federal court to accept the settlement reached earlier this year among the city, U.S. Environmental Protection Agency and Indiana Department of Environmental Management.
“This agreement demonstrates the city’s commitment to protecting public health and improving the quality of life along the White River and our neighborhood waterways,” said Mayor Bart Peterson. “Reaching this settlement avoids lengthy and costly litigation and allows us to continue our focus on resolving this long-standing problem.
“I am also grateful to the community groups who have worked with us to resolve these issues and who have agreed to drop their complaint. The plan reflects the hard work of many city staff and residents who care about Indianapolis and want to make our neighborhoods cleaner and healthier.”
The civil rights complaint was filed in October 1999, before Mayor Peterson was elected.
Today’s agreement is one element of the mayor’s Clean Streams-Healthy Neighborhoods program, which also includes eliminating septic tanks, upgrading sanitary sewers, and improving flood control and drainage.
Since the mayor’s first term began in January 2000, the city has made significant progress in improving water quality, investing more than $200 million in sewer improvement projects. For example, the flow equalization basins installed in 2005 at the Belmont and Southport Advanced Wastewater Treatment plants have prevented more than 550 million gallons of sewage from overflowing into the White River this year alone. Other improvements to the sewage collection system are reducing overflows by more than 145 million gallons in a typical year. Overflows will be reduced even more as the long-term plan is implemented.
Under the consent decree, the city has agreed to invest:
· $1.73 billion by December 2025 to significantly reduce raw sewage overflows from the combined sewer system;
· $50.4 million by December 2015 to eliminate chronic overflows from seven locations in the separate, sanitary sewer system; and
· $3.5 million by December 2010 on supplemental environmental projects to eliminate septic systems in the Epler-Meridian and Banta-Southport neighborhoods.
The city also will pay cash fines for past violations of $588,900 to U.S. EPA and $58,890 to IDEM to settle the complaint. Potentially larger fines were offset by the city’s commitment to put dollars toward projects that will improve water quality.
Minor changes were made to the plan following the city’s public comment period. For a summary of those changes, visit the Clean Stream Team Web site at www.indycleanstreams.org.
Raw sewage overflows from outdated sewers during wet weather are a century-old problem faced by hundreds of cities, especially in the Midwest and Northeast.
Historically, in a typical year, nearly 6 billion gallons of untreated sewage overflowed from more than 130 outfall pipes located along the White River, Fall Creek, Pleasant Run, Bean Creek, Pogues Run, Eagle Creek, Lick Creek and State Ditch. Another 2 billion gallons of partially treated sewage overflowed at the city’s wastewater treatment plants.
Under the city’s plan, 95 to 97 percent of wet weather flows will be captured and treated, eliminating overflows during all but the heaviest rain storms.
There will be a 30-day public comment period on the consent decree, required by federal law, before it can be approved and put into effect by the court.
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