City of Youngstown, Ohio, Sewer Overflows Settlement
The Justice Department, the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency, and the State of Ohio announced a settlement with the City of Youngstown on Tuesday, March 5, 2002, that will reduce and perhaps eliminate long-standing and significant raw sewage discharges from its combined sewer system. Under the settlement, the City estimates that it will spend $12 million in short-term improvements over the next six years and $100 million over the next two decades to develop and implement a long-term sewage discharge control plan. This settlement is expected to eliminate 800 million gallons of illegal sewage discharges annually.
EPA Regional Administrator Thomas Skinner said, "Close cooperation between EPA, the Department of Justice and the State of Ohio has resulted in a settlement that will significantly benefit the environment. Controlling discharges of raw sewage will have an immediate positive impact on the Mahoning River, but the heart of the agreement is the long-term control plan that will play a major role in restoring the waterway."
The settlement puts Youngstown on an enforceable schedule to eliminate direct discharges of raw sewage, eliminate a sewer overflow at Orchard Meadow near Mill Creek Park's Lily Pond, replace two pump stations and make significant improvements to operation and maintenance of the sewer system. The settlement also requires the City to develop and implement a long-term control plan to reduce or eliminate wet weather discharges from its combined sewer system, which will require several major construction projects over the next 20 years.
The settlement was lodged in U.S. District Court in the Northern District of Ohio in Akron and is subject to a 30-day public comment period and final court approval.
For additional information, contact:
Amanda Gibson
U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (2243A)
1200 Pennsylvania Avenue, NW
Washington, DC 20460-0001
(202) 564-4239
gibson.amanda@epa.gov