CREATES $1.7 BILLION GRANT PROGRAM FOR WATER INFRASTRUCTURE INVESTMENT

U.S. Rep. Bill Pascrell, Jr. (D-NJ-08), the author of H.R. 569, the Water Quality Investment Act of 2007, today praised House passage of his legislation which would help communities reach a higher standard of environmental health.  The Water Quality Investment Act would fund a $1.7 billion grant program for municipalities and states to invest in the modernization of aging sewer infrastructure affected by wet weather events.  The legislation overwhelmingly passed by a vote of 367-58.

As the former Mayor of Paterson, which has thirty-one combined sewer outfalls that discharge into the Passaic River, Rep. Pascrell joined the Transportation and Infrastructure Subcommittee on Water Resources and the Environment in 1997 determined to improve waste water infrastructure and water quality standards.

”I applaud the House of Representatives for supporting my fight to modernize America’s most outdated water infrastructure.  The Water Quality Investment Act will directly assist financially strapped municipalities afford necessary sewer system improvements without having to levy local tax rates.  Smart water infrastructure investment will mitigate public health risks and contribute to the preservation of natural resources, such as the Passaic River and Paterson’s Great Falls.  Clean coastlines, riverbanks and lakefronts will enhance the land value in our communities and spur local investment through increased recreation, tourism and commerce.  This is the sort of smart investment we need to rebuild many of America’s urban areas.”

“Passage of H.R. 569 is critical to meeting the dire needs for wastewater infrastructure that continue to threaten the economic and environmental health of this nation,” said James L. Oberstar, the Chairman of the House Transportation and Infrastructure Committee.  “Through his previous experience as Mayor of Paterson, Congressman Pascrell recognized early on the severity of the problem of combined sewers and sanitary sewers overflowing, placing water quality and human health at risk.  I commend Congressman Pascrell for his tireless efforts in championing this program.”

“I am fully supportive of Congressman Pascrell’s leadership at the federal level to modernize sewer infrastructure so that cities like Paterson reap the benefits of cleaner water and meet their federal obligations,” stated Paterson Mayor, Jose “Joey” Torres.  “Congressman Pascrell’s legislative effort has the potential to save significant taxpayer dollars and reinvigorate the Passaic River.  I strongly endorse the Water Quality Investment Act.”

The Water Quality Investment Act would authorize a $1.7 billion dollar grant program over five years to control combined sewer overflows (CSO’s) and sanitary sewer overflows (SSO’s).  Under the grant program, funding would be allocated directly to municipalities during the first year.  The following four years of funding would be allocated to states on a need-based formula.

Combined Sewer Systems (CSS) are typically located in older urban areas where they were designed to transport sanitary sewage, industrial discharge, and storm water within the same pipe, for treatment.  However, in order to prevent flooding during periods of heavy rainfall, CSSs discharge excess flow into bodies of water, presenting a dangerous public health hazard.  Combined Sewer Overflows (CSO) occur in thirty-one states and the District of Colombia.  System overflows are a public health threat in 772 U.S. municipalities.

“Combined sewer overflow is a crucial issue in the environmental community and many others,” stated Bryan J. Christiansen, the Executive Director of the Passaic Valley Sewerage Commission (PVSC).  “We applaud Congressman Pascrell for putting forth a grant program to help address sewer overflow.  PVSC wholeheartedly supports the Congressman’s efforts and thanks him.” 

The Passaic Valley Sewerage Commissioners operate one of the country's largest treatment plants for the wastewaters of northern New Jersey.  Servicing forty-eight municipalities throughout northern New Jersey, the facility has been striving, since its initial operation in 1924, to improve local water quality in accordance with federal and state water quality legislation.

Separate sewer systems often overflow as well, releasing untreated waste into our environment in all 50 states.  For example, in 2003, New Jersey closed over 30,000 acres of classified shellfish growing areas due to a large separate sewer overflow.

The Water Quality Investment Act is supported by dozens of environmental, municipal, trade and labor organizations including; Clean Water Action, Food and Water Watch, the National Association of Clean Water Agencies, the National Association of Flood and Stormwater Management Agencies, the National League of Cities, the National Association of Counties, the Laborers’ International Union of America, and the American Federation of State, County, and Municipal Employees, just to name a few.

“I am proud to lead this fiscally responsibility environmental initiative that promises cleaner water resources throughout New Jersey and communities all across America,” concluded Pascrell.   

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