Officials in Cumberland, Ind. are hoping that residents will be ready for a little education as the town hosts a series of hearings on its storm water utility.
According to a report in the Daily Reporter, the town is looking to educate the public on what they can do to improve the water quality and why the plan will add a charge of up to $7 a month to their sewer bill.
“There are a number of things that we can do to reduce pollution in the storm run off so we hope to let the people of the town know about them,” said Councilman Ron Sullivan, the chairman of the town’s storm water utility.
The town established the utility several years ago to begin preparing for stricter federal and state storm water control regulations. Each community in the area has been working to set its utility that will be required to care for the ditches and streams that run through each municipality.
The work is part of a package of stricter federal clean water rules approved by Congress. Counties have been doing some of the work and assessing a ditch maintenance fee on those who drain into or live near a ditch for years but now the town’s must get involved, including regulations that will eventually require water quality testing down stream from most towns.
“There are things we can do even at some manhole covers such as screens and even filters that could improve the quality of water going downstream,” said Sullivan.
Cumberland expanded its waste water treatment plant and improved its sewage collection system several years ago to handle residential growth but now it must take over control of its storm sewers as part of the federal regulations.
“There could come a day when we are required to run all of the storm runoff through a treatment plant before discharging it,” said Sullivan.
Engineers have developed a plan to improve drainage in several areas of the town, including some on the Hancock County side of the community. They are now assessing homes and businesses throughout the area to determine a fair charge to help pay the bills.
Source: DR
