Several years ago, Don Hopey of the Post Gazette met with a group of environmental leaders to discuss how the media dealt with environmental issues. At the end of the discussion someone asked what Hopey thought would be the main environmental issue facing the public in the future. Without a pause, Hopey responded: updating the region’s sewer system. Most people in the room agreed.

Background: The issue is simple. When it rains hard, storm water gets into the region’s dilapidated sewer pipes, which overflow, causing untreated sewage to flow into waterways– waterways where people boat, fish and from which we get our drinking water.

In 1998, the Clean Water Act was amended to prohibit sewer pipe overflows and severely limit overflows from pipes designed to carry both waste water and storm water. If communities do not rehabilitate their antiquated sewer systems to meet the new requirements, then additions to the present sewer system will be prohibited and new development restricted. To meet the federal and state requirements, ALCOSAN has signed a Consent Agreement with the EPA and Pennsylvania’s DEP.

Public Meetings: In accord with the Consent Agreement, ALOSAN has developed a comprehensive regional plan to rehabilitate the sewer system. The proposed planning and construction of this project is estimated to be about $3 billion over twenty years.

To inform the public of the Regional Sewer Plan, ALCOSAN will hold nine evening meetings around the region, over the period from Nov 5 to Nov 19. The full schedule of meetings is presented on ALCOSAN’s website.