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Photo courtesy John Winters Thanks to The Boren Foundation, and Jack and Karen Kay Leonard for making this website possible. |
Sewers and Combined Sewer Overflows - IKE's PriorityHow Your Community's Combined Sewer Plan Rates?
Indiana’s CSO Scoring System Provides Answers!
Indiana’s 106 combined sewer overflow communities are expected to invest more than $2 billion dollars in public funds over the next 20 years to reduce the more than 20 billion gallons of annual combined sewer overflows. The result should be a major step forward in making our urban streams safe for our children.
How that investment is made will be decided by communities on a staggered schedule during the next three years. During that time, communities will be developing CSO Long-Term Control Plans (LTCPs) that lay out the goals, options, final selection, and implementation plan to address the problems. The schedule is set by permits, agreed orders, and community needs. One communities already has finalized its plans and is waiting on Indiana Department of Environmental Management approval. If you live in a CSO community or live downstream of one, you need to get involved now!
Eight Indiana environmental groups teamed up to develop a scoring system that evaluates the quality and effectiveness of the Long-Term Control Plans. The groups are:
Through this system, we intend to help communities develop plans that are more likely to achieve Indiana’s environmental and public health goals and to help residents understand how their community's plan compares to other plans. A score of 100 should be the goal of every community. Tom Neltner , IKE President |
Audubon Society - Amos Butler Chapter
- Grand Calumet Task Force
- Hoosier Environmental Council
- Improving Kids' Environment
- Izaak Walton League—Indiana Division
- Save the Dunes Council
- Sierra Club - Hoosier Chapter
- Valley Watch.
The groups released their scoring system form (Word Perfect version) on July 28. This effort is designed to complement review by IDEM. IDEM must review and approve all LTCPs.
IKE is leading the project and will coordinate the scoring. A description of the system and results is be on IKE's webpage. The results will be posted on a web page table showing the status of all 106 CSO communities.
WHAT CAN YOU DO?
- Check to see if you are in or are downstream of a CSO community and find out when its plan is due.
- Get involved in that community’s Long-Term Control Plan — the plans are being developed now.
- Call Tom Neltner at 317-442-3973 for assistance. He will be glad to review drafts and meet with communities
- Remember that a high score does not imply that the LTCP is perfect or that the eight organizations endorse the plan.