Atlanta gets Permission to Keep Polluting Water for 13 More years
WSB-TB
Thu May 31, 2012
Area: Atlanta
ATLANTA - Environmental regulators want to give Atlanta 13 more years to finish work needed to stop sewage from flowing into water sources and backing up into buildings.
The extension proposed Thursday by environmental regulators would allow Atlanta more time to complete an estimated $445 million in repair work. It would push the deadline back 13 years from 2014 to 2027.
Federal officials said Atlanta has already completed most work required under a 1999 deal to fix water quality violations. They said that work has reduced sewer overflows by an estimated 97 percent since 2004 and cost $1.5 billion.
Untreated sewage can contaminate rivers and streams and seep into buildings.
The public has 30 days to comment on the proposal. Afterward, it would have to be approved by a federal judge.
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