Letters Our Crumbling Sewers

Posted: August 10, 2005

As the leader of IBEW Local 98 and chairman of the Redevelopment Authority, I am staunchly pro-development. Unfortunately, rapid development comes with a price. All this new construction is covering up an antiquated sewer system that is crumbling under our feet. There is an immediate need for an inter-governmental action plan to replace Philadelphia's sewer infrastructure.

As president of the Pennsport Civic Association in South Philadelphia, I have heard from numerous residents about repeat floods. The construction of the new sports stadiums and Lowe's and Ikea shopping centers has over-burdened Pennsport's sewer and run-off water systems. Even minor rain results in flooded basements and homes. Worse, the flood water is a noxious, bacteria-ridden and unhealthy stew of rain water and raw sewage.

This is a citywide problem, as evidenced by the recent floods in Northern Liberties, but the situation in South Philadelphia is particularly bad. Engineers in other cities view combined sewer systems as the culprit. Only about 800 U.S. cities, including Philadelphia, still rely on combined systems. The rest carry wastewater and storm runoff in separate pipes, which prevent overflows and are more efficient because treatment plants don't have to accommodate storm runoff along with wastewater.

There are penalties for waiting too long. Baltimore will soon undergo a 14-year sewer upgrade that will cost approximately $940 million, resulting from a lawsuit settlement with the Department of Justice, the EPA, and the state of Maryland. Similarly, the DOJ and EPA recently reached a $2 billion settlement with Los Angeles after 4,500 sewage spills over the past decade. Philadelphia has 3,300 miles of sewer lines that are crumbling as you read this. A coordinated plan involving city, state and federal leadership is needed to avert future floods - of sewage, lawsuits and bad press for our beloved city.

John J. Dougherty

Philadelphia

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