Clean Water Advocacy - Newsroom - NACWA in the News
Editorial:
Water Woes / A federal Plan Would Jump-Start the Cleanup
Aug 14, 2006 Pittsburgh Post-Gazette
Pittsburgh Post-Gazette
The $3 billion tab for upgrading the sewer lines of Alcosan and
the 83 communities it serves may not fall entirely on the customers. That's a
relief, especially since this infrastructure crisis exists in many parts of the
nation and the overhaul has been triggered by tougher federal water standards.
That makes it perfectly understandable why the U. S. House of Representatives is
considering the Clean Water Trust Act, which would provide $7. 5 billion
annually to cover $300 billion to $500 billion in costs over two decades to
repair or replace leaky, outmoded sewerage systems around the country.
Pennsylvania alone needs $8 billion to fix its problem, with the Allegheny
County work accounting for more than a third.
Without the sewer-line repairs, rainwater infiltrates the cracked and creaky
system, forcing a system like Alcosan to treat 25 million gallons of wastewater
each day, twice as much as is recorded on sewer bills. Until that problem is
eradicated, the region is likely to face undesirable consequences: federal
fines, more river alerts due to sewer overflows and bans on new development.
Fortunately, three Republican members of Pennsylvania's congressional delegation
spoke out last week on behalf of House Bill 4560, saying it was needed in this
region and others around the country. Reps. Phil English of Erie, Melissa Hart
of Bradford Woods and Tim Murphy of Upper St. Clair made a case for the Clean
Water Trust Act, which would make aid from Washington a key ingredient in the
nationwide overhaul.
No one expects the federal government to bail out local communities and, as Rep. English said, even state and local resources will have to be tapped to accomplish the repairs. Nevertheless, federal dollars are essential to getting the work started and the environmental cleanup done. The plan deserves strong bipartisan support.