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HomeMy WebLinkAbout10-07-2005 Mayor Announces 10-year Plan for a Cleaner River and Healthier Neighborhoods Mayor Announces 10-year Plan for a Cleaner River and Healthier Neighborhoods Page 1 of 2 � v%• 'Building a 21St Century City " ' rs Stephen J. Luecke, Mayor RELEASE FROM: FOR RELEASE: Office of the Mayor Friday, October 7, 2005 Mayor Announces 10-year Plan for a Cleaner River and Healthier Neighborhoods Phased Sewer Rate Increase Will Fund First Four Years Mayor Stephen J. Luecke today announced a 10-year, $118 million plan that will solve chronic sewage backups in several neighborhoods and continue to reduce raw sewage overflows into the St. Joseph River during wet weather. "A 21st Century city needs to take responsibility for the sewage we create," Mayor Luecke said. "It's no longer acceptable to have raw sewage overflowing into people's basements and the river with nearly every rainfall. Although we've been working on this problem since the 1990s, we need additional funds now to continue our progress" Untreated sewage overflows into the river from the city's outdated sewer system, which can be overwhelmed by incoming stormwater when it rains or snows. These overflows send 1.8 billion gallons of untreated sewage into the St. Joseph River each year. In some neighborhoods, raw sewage backing up into people's basements is a chronic and recurring problem. Mayor Luecke's Clean River-Healthy Neighborhoods Plan will help solve chronic sewage backups into basements in these neighborhoods and improve sewage collection and treatment capabilities. When complete, the 10-year plan will reduce the city's raw sewage overflow volume by 38 percent in a typical year. "The St. Joseph River is an important community resource enjoyed by our residents as well as visitors to our area—from Olympic-caliber kayakers and recreational canoeists to weekend sport fishermen. It's a resource we need to protect,"the mayor said. The first four years of the plan will be financed by a sewer rate increase that will be introduced to the Council on Monday, October 10. The table below shows the annual revenue needed in 2006-2009 for capital improvements and operation and maintenance of the sewer system and treatment plant. Projected rates are based upon a monthly residential bill of 5,000 gallons. Annual Revenue Average Monthly Year Needed Residential Bill (5,000 Gallons) Current (2005) $14,760,292 $16.77 2006 $19,670,888 $21.62 2007 $22,182,260 $24.88 2008 $24,288,191 $27.63 2009 $25,577,316 $30.08 http://www.ci.south-bend.in.us/Press/Releases 2005/100705 rates.htm 1/13/2006 Mayor Announces 10-year Plan for a Cleaner River and Healthier Neighborhoods Page 2 of 2 The City of South Bend has been one of the state's leaders in reducing raw sewage overflows, gaining recognition in the 1990s from the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency and Indiana Department of Environmental Management for its proactive overflow reduction program. Yet even with these proposed rate increases,the city's rates remain competitive with other communities' rates. "We have not been standing still on this issue," the mayor said. "We have already spent more than $87 million on improvements that have reduced overflows by more than 300 million gallons per year. But we must continue to move ahead to address regulatory requirements and the needs of our city for sewage collection and treatment." To meet increasingly stringent state and federal regulatory requirements, rate increases will be required every year or two for the next 20 years. Other communities in Indiana and across the nation are facing additional costs and pressures to upgrade and maintain their sewer systems. South Bend, Elkhart, Mishawaka and many other cities are working with the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency and the Indiana Department of Environmental Management on long-term plans to reduce overflows even further. "Although we haven't yet finalized the details of the long-term plan with regulatory agencies, projects in this 10-year plan are necessary components of the long-term solution and need to move forward now," said Gary Gilot, Director of the Department of Public Works. The 10-year plan has been reviewed by the mayor-appointed Advisory Committee comprised of community leaders from neighborhoods, academia, business and labor. The plan is consistent with the committee's recommendations that the city place the highest priority on solving chronic basement backups of sewage into people's homes and eliminate bottlenecks in the existing sewer system. Beyond the next 10 years, the long-term plan options need further study and clarification of regulatory requirements before a final plan can be selected. The city will seek the public's involvement and input before selecting the long-term plan. View Complete Information Package Contact: Mikki Dobski, Communications & Special Projects, 574.235.5855/876.1564 Jack Dillon, Director of DPW Division of Environmental Services, 574-277-8515 Back I City Home Page I City Directory I Site Map I Search Go powered by FreeFind Created by the City of South Bend Department of Information Technologies. Copyright©2005 City of South Bend.All rights reserved. http://www.ci.south-bend.in.us/Press/Releases 2005/100705 rates.htm 1/13/2006