Published: May 17, 2008 04:11 pm            

Jeffersonville sewer plant proposal on the table

The Jeffersonville City Council will be given a first look at a proposal to construct a new city sewer plant next week.

The council meets at 7:30 p.m. Monday at Jeffersonville City Hall.

The proposal is being brought forth by Mayor Tom Galligan, who said the plant could be a necessary alternative in order for the city to deal with long-standing problems with combined sewer overflows. Problems arise when heavy rain overflows into the sanitary sewer, eventually washing bacteria into the Ohio River. It’s something the Environmental Protection Agency has been looking at for the last few years.

“The major problem is down in the old part of the sewer system,” Galligan said.

There are between six and seven combined sewer overflows. The fact that the EPA may soon require stormwater to be treated is also being considered.

“We need to put a plan in that can be done over a period of time,” Galligan said. “To help the environment and to help the citizens.

“We’re doing this because it’s the right thing to do and because the EPA is telling us it’s required under the Clean Water Act.”

The proposal would put a new sewer plant on the northeast end of the city, near the River Ridge Commerce Center. That would relieve stress on the current plant so it could adequately handle the downtown issues, he said. The cost of the plant has yet to be determined, but the mayor believes it will be around $10 million. However, he said, it could end up saving money because of its location and the fact that less material would be needed to run sewer lines to that area of the city.

All of this is in an effort to come to an agreed order with the EPA between November and January, Galligan said.

“That’ll be the order by which we move forward,” he said.

The sewer-plant proposal is just one alternative in addressing the issue. It would need the approval of the city council and the Jeffersonville Sewer Board.

The council has already taken steps to address the issue in the past, said Larry Thomas, communications director for the city. In 2005, it signed off on $23.8 million to fund the first phase of combined-sewer-overflow fixes. Some of that work already has taken place.

“We have to reduce the overflow that goes into the Ohio River,” said City Council president Ed Zastawny. “How to best do that, I don’t know yet.

“I think it’s better to work with (the EPA) than have a judge involved to make us comply,” he said.

Councilman Ron Grooms offered similar comment, saying he’s not sure how he would vote until he sees the numbers on how much a new plant would help.

“It’s pretty obvious that there’s going to be a new treatment plant in the River Ridge area within the next 10 to 15 years,” he said.

The city could also opt to use an existing sewer plant at the commerce center now, he said, adding, “that would be a very short-term, weak Band-Aid.”

Those plants were built by the U.S. Army when the River Ridge area was used as a ammunition plant.

Jeffersonville contributes about 12 percent of Ohio River pollution locally, according to the Ohio River Valley Water Sanitation Commission, also known as ORSANCO. Louisville contributes about 50 percent and 38 percent comes from nonpoint sources, where the pollution source is not identified.



Also on the council’s agenda

• The Jeffersonville City Council’s cell-phone ordinance is up for a second reading Monday night. The ordinance specifies which employees get a cell phone, how to get one and how personal cell phone use can be reimbursed. It allows for 300 minutes per month per phone. And it stipulates that the city will not pay for text messaging an Internet charges.

• There are two amendments to the salary ordinance up for consideration. One of the amendments — which already has been approved on first and second reading — moves the city’s purchasing agent’s salary from the Clerk’s office to the Mayor’s office with no change in the amount of salary. The second is a request for a raise for a clerical position in the vehicle maintenance department.

        

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