• Home
  • News
    • Politics & Government
    • Business & Economy
    • Crime / Courts
    • Health / Medicine
  • Sports
    • High School Sports
    • Radio Iowa Poll
  • Affiliates
    • Affiliate Support Page
  • Contact Us
    • Reporters

Radio Iowa

Iowa's Radio News Network

You are here: Home / Outdoors / Expert urges lawmakers to help cities pay for sewage treatment plant repairs

Expert urges lawmakers to help cities pay for sewage treatment plant repairs

June 20, 2008 By admin

A state water quality expert is urging Iowa lawmakers to help cities finance repairs to sewer treatment facilities. The sewer treatment plants in 21 Iowa cities and towns were damaged when flood waters swamped lagoons.

Department of Natural Resources water quality bureau chief Chuck Corell says in some cases these are the same cities already facing mandatory — and expensive — upgrades to meet federal Clean Water Act standards.

"When they start calculating those monthly sewer bills for their citizens, they can get pretty high pretty fast," he says. "You get a town of 250 that has to spend $1 million, that’s not a lot of households to spread that cost around."

Corell says legislators should consider putting more money into the state’s revolving loan fund for sewage treatment plant improvements. Some communities may qualify for federal assistance as well, but can’t wait until the money arrives to make the repairs. Corell cites the example of Cedar Rapids.

"Their plant was completely flooded out and they’re just starting to get it into shape to start treating waste water again," Corell says. "Now, in some of the smaller towns with lagoons, for example, if (the flood waters) didn’t wash away any dikes, they should be in fairly good shape without a lot of repair, but we did lose some stream crossings where the sewer had to go under stream, so we know there’s going to be some repair there, too."

Share this:

  • Facebook
  • Twitter

Filed Under: Outdoors, Politics / Govt Tagged With: Department of Natural Resources

Featured Stories

Governor signs child care expansion into law

Iowa seniors have until July 1 to apply for new property tax break

Smoke from distant fires creates colorful sunrise in Iowa

DOT’s Motor Vehicle Enforcement Division to merge into State Patrol

Iowa’s governor approves liability limits for trucking industry

TwitterFacebook
Tweets by RadioIowa

Iowa names Beth Goetz interim AD

Cyclone Trio Invited to USA Basketball U19 Training Camp

Cameron Young to compete at the John Deere Classic

Radio Iowa/Baseball Coaches Association High School Poll 5/29/23

Iowa AD Gary Barta announces retirement

More Sports

Archives

Copyright © 2023 ยท Learfield News & Ag, LLC