The Lexington City Council is scheduled to vote on March 21 on a proposed agreement that would give the city an additional four years to complete court-ordered sewer system improvements. In 2011, the U.S. Department of Justice worked with the EPA and states to mandate improvements and set an end date of 2026. Water Quality Director Charlie Martin has been with the city since 1999.
“It is well known that when I came here, there were recurring sewer overflows where manholes would open every time it rained. We have come a long way since then. There are no more overflowing manholes like before.”
Martin said he is confident the state and federal governments will embrace the deal if the City Council approves it. He said the initial estimate for improvements to the city's sanitary sewer system was $600 million, but he still expects the final amount to be less.
“At this point, we were projecting that $470 million would be spent. At this point, the actual spending would be $372 million.”
Martin acknowledged that multiple sewer rate increases will be necessary to pay for the improvements. Lexington Environmental Quality & Public Works supports WEKU financially.
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