Evansville racing to finish sewer overhaul plan

EVANSVILLE, Ind. (AP) — Officials in Evansville are racing to complete a plan for a $500 million sewer overhaul that could take decades.

The Ohio River community is among 10 cities in Indiana that have to come up a plan to fix their combined sewer overflows under a consent decree with the Environmental Protection Agency. Final plans had been due by Nov. 30, but the EPA granted an extension to May 31.

Evansville has been told to eliminate 90 percent of overflows of raw sewage into the Ohio River and other waterways from old sewer lines that carry both sewage and storm-water.

The Evansville Courier & Press reports (http://bit.ly/14kiOxO) the EPA gave the city 20 years for the task, but the city wants 30 years to slow down the impact on sewer rates.

___

Information from: Evansville Courier & Press, http://www.courierpress.com