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City official outlines ongoing sanitary sewer overflow issues and EPA involvement
Summary
The Director of Public Service and Safety told the St. Marys City Council the city continues to experience sanitary sewer overflows during heavy rains despite recent plant improvements, and said the city is meeting with partners to develop a long-term plan under EPA direction.
The Director of Public Service and Safety reported to the council that sanitary sewer overflows (SSOs) remain a problem during heavy rain events and that the city has been working with the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency on compliance and remediation efforts.
"Sanitary sewer overflows are illegal," the director said, noting the city has been under EPA direction for roughly 10–12 years and that recent improvements (additional capacity and a flood scribe) have helped but not eliminated SSOs. The director said occurrences tend to happen during particularly heavy rain when the treatment plant cannot operate efficiently at peak inflows.
Council member Dylan asked if there are any SSOs currently in the city; the director acknowledged there are still occasional overflows during wet years and said the city will continue meetings with technical partners to develop a better plan. The director emphasized incremental improvements already completed and said officials will continue work to reduce overflows.
The council did not vote or adopt new policy during this report; the item was presented as part of city officials' reports and followed by questions from council members.
