5/1/2006
Media Contact:
Justin Ohlemiller, [317] 327-3690
Margie Smith-Simmons, 327-4669 |
 |
Mayor, city receive national clean water award
INDIANAPOLIS- Mayor Bart Peterson was honored today by the National Association of Clean Water Agencies (NACWA) for his leadership in protecting U.S. waterways and reducing raw sewage overflows.
The mayor was among a select group of federal, state and local officials who were honored by NACWA at its 2006 National Environmental Achievement Awards luncheon in Washington, DC.
NACWA Executive Director Ken Kirk said Mayor Peterson was being recognized "for being an outspoken advocate for the need to improve the Indianapolis’ sewer infrastructure and for aggressively addressing the city’s [combined sewer overflow] problem."
"This award is a credit to the many hard-working professionals in the Department of Public Works, local engineering and construction community, the Indianapolis Clean Stream Team and our advisory committees," Mayor Peterson said. "Their dedication to cleaner streams and healthier neighborhoods makes this a city-wide celebration of all we have achieved so far - and all that’s yet to be done to ensure healthier, cleaner neighborhoods."
Actions taken to clean-up local waterways since Mayor Peterson took office include:
þ Working with state and federal regulators to develop a long-term control plan to reduce sewage overflows while moving forward without a regulatory mandate with more than $200 million in overflow reduction projects which have reduced overflows by more than 145 million gallons per year.
þ Creating a new Septic Tank Elimination Program to replace the onerous Barrett Law process that will use city financing to extend city sewers to some 900 homes each year.
þ Gaining passage of sewer rate increases in 2001 and 2005 to fund needed sewer and treatment plant improvements.
þ Implementing the first real-time public notification program for sewer overflows in the nation.
þ Establishing stormwater construction standards to improve stormwater management in the combined sewer area even though it is not required by regulatory agencies.
þ Developing a countywide Sanitary Sewer Master Plan for large-diameter sewers and conducting Sanitary Sewer Evaluation Studies to identify and address small-diameter sewer needs.
"While it is sometimes challenging from a public perspective to put money and attention into underground infrastructure that many will never see, Mayor Peterson has been a leader who recognizes that the city could no longer afford to ignore its waterways and understood the needs for improved sewage treatment," said DPW Director James Garrard.
NACWA represents more than 300 wastewater utilities around the country, including Indianapolis DPW. NACWA members serve the majority of the population in the United States with sewers and collectively treat and reclaim more than 18 billion gallons of wastewater daily.
Other individuals honored with NACWA public service awards at today’s ceremony were:
Federal: Rep. Thelma Drake (R-VA), Rep. Norman D. Dicks (D-WA), Sen. Hillary Clinton (D-NY), Rep. Eddie Bernice Johnson (D-TX)
State: LaJuana S. Wilcher, Secretary, Environment and Public Protection Cabinet, Kentucky
Local (service area population greater than 250,000): Ron Sims, County Executive, King County, Wash., and John A. Coleman, Board of Directors, East Bay Municipal Utility District, Calif.
Past recipients of the local government award include Atlanta Mayor Shirley Franklin and Washington, DC, Mayor Anthony Williams.
|
