League of Conservation Voters Education Fund: Vote Environment: About The Issues

Editorial: Clean water costs

July 29, 2000

The idea that bills for Toledo sewer customers could double in 15 years isn't nearly as upsetting as the fact that our clean water supply could be compromised if nothing is done to keep raw sewage from entering the Maumee River.

It's been nine years since the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency slapped Toledo with a lawsuit charging violations of the Clean Water Act. A tentative agreement between the city and the EPA shows that it will cost $400 million to fix the problem. That's a lot of money, but in the long run, does the city really have a choice?

When it rains heavily or steadily for prolonged periods, the Bay View Wastewater Treatment Plant unloads either raw sewage or partially treated sewage into the Maumee. The amount of raw or partially treated sewage deposited into the river last year - 116 million gallons - is down significantly from a decade ago, when 2.9 billion gallons were dumped into the river. But it's still too much.

Plant workers could stop the discharge by slowing down the amount of storm water it allows into the plant. But that would mean sewage backup in basements throughout the city. Better yet, enlarging the plant would allow it to take in a greater volume of water. Or, building bigger retention tanks would allow the plant to hold more storm and wastewater.

The latter options certainly are preferable to having sewage backing up into homes and businesses. Under the tentative agreement, the city will upgrade the system, pay a $500,000 fine and $1 million for environmental cleanup, and several hundred thousand dollars more for a sewage system study.

Sewage bills would be tapped to pay for the upgrades, so Toledo sewer customers' bill would go up 5 per cent every year between 2002 and 2017. The city already has a 5 per cent per year rate increase through 2002. Realistically, many consumer products and services have doubled in cost over the last 15 years, yet none is more important than water. Also, qualifying senior citizens with a homeowners exemption will pay significantly smaller increases.

Keep in mind, too, that Toledo's combined water and sewer rates are substantially lower than Ohio's major cities, including Cleveland, Cincinnati, Akron, and Youngstown.

The city should formalize the settlement soon so it can avoid incurring higher costs to stop the discharge of raw or partially treated sewage into the Maumee River, and avoid a more hefty fine from the federal government.

Making the upgrades won't jeopardize Toledo financially, the investment houses note. They observe the city should still be able to meet its other financial obligations. That's good news. So is the notion that a long-standing problem with an abundant natural resource will be resolved.