MSD and EPA in sewer agreement that will cost billions

If you have not been paying attention, your sewer bill could increase dramatically.  Check out the breaking news story from Phil Sutin in the St. L Post Dispatch.

The Metropolitan St. Louis Sewer District said Thursday that it had agreed in principle to spend $4.7 billion over the next two decades to end a 4-year-old suit that alleged the agency violated federal clean water laws.

The agreement could more than double sewer bills here. MSD handles sanitary and storm water disposal for St. Louis and most of St. Louis County.

The U.S. Environmental Protection Agency, which filed the suit in 2007, and the Coalition for the Environment, which intervened in it, have agreed to the terms of the consent decree settling the case. Another plaintiff, the state of Missouri, did not agree.

A representative of Missouri Attorney General Chris Koster's office issued a statement saying, "We are not signing the consent decree because we have not been able to reach agreement on all issues we have with MSD."

MSD trustees will consider formal approval next week.

For the rest of the story, click here: http://www.stltoday.com/news/local/metro/article_ceafcdd4-4637-5591-92d5-b2b3c81accac.html

Crestwood Changes Policy for Sewer Line Repairs

The St. Louis Post Dispatch reports Crestwood home owners seeking sewer lateral repairs will have to foot part of the cost or at least part of the restoration labor under a revised policy. Crestwood is one of several St. Louis County cities supporting a repair fund through an annual $28 charge on single-family homes.

Since the program began in 1999, repairs to 399 home systems have been completed. But the annual fund revenue of about $150,000 is now exceeded by project demand, and it appears that fewer repairs could be performed annually.

The new policy, effective immediately, requires applicants to show evidence that they have attempted to perform three sewer line cablings, rather than two, within the prior 12 months to try to open the sewer line. They also will be responsible for final grading and landscaping work on their property after the city-paid lateral repair is completed. The policies will save the city's fund an estimated $37,000 to $51,000 annually. Officials could not estimate the extra cost to the average home owner who applies and is approved for repairs.

St. L County Management Problems Continue to Grow

The folowing was posted in the St. Louis Post Dispatch on 2/26/09 by Paul Hampel.

A class-action suit filed Thursday in St. Louis County Circuit Court alleges the county illegally billed or overcharged thousands of residents for lateral sewer insurance. Plaintiffs include condo dwellers, new home owners and people who use septic systems, instead of public sewers.

The sewer insurance program pays for repairs to laterals – pipes between a house and a sewer main that cost thousands of dollars to fix. The fee is added to property tax bills.

The suit accuses the county and its Collector of Revenue, John Friganza, of having improperly billed taxpayers since 2002 in four ways:

For the rest of the story, visit: http://www.stltoday.com/#stl-masthead

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