HomeMy WebLinkAbout4636-17 Supporting the City Administration's alternative cost savings approach to its CSO Long Term Control Plan and ecouraging the Federal and State Environmental Regulatory Agencies to adopt this innovative plan RESOLUTION
No. 4636-17
Passed by the Common Council of the City of South Bend, Indiana
May 22. 20 17
Attest: City Clerk
Attest- - — President of Common Council
Presented by me to the Mayor of the City of South Bend, Indiana
May 23, 20 17.
City Clerk
Approved and signed by me 20–L I.
MW
SUBSTITUTE BILL NO. 17-25
RESOLUTION NO. 4636-17
A RESOLUTION OF THE COMMON COUNCIL OF THE CITY
OF SOUTH BEND,INDIANA, SUPPORTING THE CITY ADMINISTRATION'S
ALTERNATIVE COST SAVINGS APPROACH TO ITS CSO LONG TERM CONTROL
PLAN AND ENCOURAGING THE FEDERAL AND STATE ENVIRONMENTAL
REGULATORY AGENCIES TO ADOPT THIS INNOVATIVE PLAN
WHEREAS, the City of South Bend has been a leader in seeking ways to maintain a
clean and safe St. Joseph River. It was the first Indiana city on the St. Joseph River to construct
in 1956 a wastewater treatment plant, Prior to 2011 it had invested over one hundred million
dollars ($100,000,000) for environmental protection upgrades and improvements to its sewage
system; and
WHEREAS, in December 2011, the City of South Bend enacted a 20 year CSO Long
Term Control Plan (CSO Plan) to reduce combined sewer overflows (CSO's) into the St. Joseph
River to ensure compliance with the federal Clean Water Act, which CSO Plan was incorporated
into a Consent Decree filed in the United States District Court for the Northern District of
Indiana; and
WHEREAS, the City's original 2011 CSO Plan required a massive new investment by
the City to reduce down to four (4) the number of annual events of CSO excess sewer discharge
into the St. Joseph River; the expectation of the remedial cost was approximately five hundred
million dollars ($500,000,000) to be paid through a series of sewer rate increases born by
customers of the City sewer utility, most of whom are individuals and families, of which about
$149 million has been paid since 2011; and
WHEREAS, today the estimated cost of the City's five hundred million CSO Plan of
2011 is around eight hundred sixty-one million dollars ($861,000,000) which does not include
the additional cost of financing the construction; and
WHEREAS, The South Bend Common Council, as the City's fiscal agent, pursuant to
Ind. Code 8-22-1-8, is charged with examining costs as well as operational efficiency of City
programs; and
WHEREAS, at the time of its enactment, the City's CSO Plan incorporated novel, state
of the art technology and was based upon then existing knowledge, solutions, and treatment
techniques; and
WHEREAS, in the years since 2011, the City has had the benefit of the wireless sensor
and smart valve technology used in the original Long Term Control Plan, almost unique in the
world, which has provided real time, highly reliable data to identify actual needs and points of
weakness in the system, and the City has also had the benefit of a comprehensive study of its
sewer treatment system; and
WHEREAS, to date since 2011, the total sewer overflow volume has been reduced by
70%; and
WHEREAS, the City, through the cooperation of the Administration, the Common
Council, and certain interested, knowledgeable community members, and based on its
exhaustive, data-driven studies in the past few years, has formulated a new and accurate system
and program to control its CSO discharges which reduces substantially the estimated cost of
meeting the CSO curtailment objective than either the original or current projected costs of the
2011 CSO Plan, and which if adopted and approved by federal and state environmental
regulatory agencies, will greatly reduce the cost burden on City utility rate payers, many of
whom are financially disadvantaged; and
WHEREAS, on May 8, 2017 the City Administration presented to the Common Council
and to the public the highlights and general description of its new CSO Plan at the Council's
Utilities Committee meeting; and
WHEREAS, the South Bend Common Council vigorously supports the City
Administration's program presented on May 8, 2017 as a quality, green solution to the CSO
issue facing South Bend as a city on the St. Joseph River resulting from the City's cooperative
efforts, and it encourages the United States Environmental Protection Agency, the Indiana
Department of Environmental Management, and any other regulatory body to adopt the City's
innovative green Plan as a cost efficient, environmentally effective approach, and grant due
modification to the pending Consent Decree.
NOW, THEREFORE, BE IT RESOLVED BY THE COMMON COUNCIL OF THE
CITY OF SOUTH BEND, INDIANA, AS FOLLOWS:
Section I. The Common Council hereby states that it vigorously supports the City
administration's approach to finding a quality solution to the CSO issue facing South Bend as a
city on the St. Joseph River.
Section II. The Common Council hereby states that it encourages the United States
Environmental Protection Agency, the Indiana Department of Environmental Management, and
any other regulatory body to adopt the City's innovative Plan as a cost efficient, environmentally
effective approach and grant due modification to the pending Consent Decree.
Section III. This Resolution shall be in full force and effect from and after its adoption
by the on Council.
Tim Sco , President Common Council Oliver Davis, Vice Pres., Common Council
i
I
David Varner Member, Common Council
4000.0000089 46138163.001
I
0 6 ' PM
• ., C;
Filed in Clerk's Office
PRESENTED 1 /22 MAY 22 2017
NOT APPROVED KAREEMAH FOWLER
ApOPTQ
rJ I221 rl CITY CLERK,SOUTH SEND,IN