GUEST COMMENTARY: Protect waterways from combined sewer overflows

Last fall, Washington, D.C. kicked off its largest public works project in more than 40 years, and we are envious. The project cuts 16 miles of underground tunnels to prevent overflow sewage and stormwater from running into the Potomac River. They understand the river is not a cesspool, but a critical asset that attracts tourists.

According to the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency, each year more than 24 billion gallons of combined untreated sewage and stormwater is dumped into the Great Lakes. These discharges contain alarming concentrations of bacteria and viruses, putting us, our waterways and the critters that use them at risk. They also contribute to beach closures, which impacts how people perceive our region -- and affects the bottom line.

Indiana has sanitary and combined sewer systems that are aging and need to be fixed. Some of our systems date back to the 19th century, when the primary goal was to get human and animal waste out of the street fast. It was cheaper to build single-pipe (combined) systems to remove both sewage from the buildings and stormwater from the streets. (Many other areas of the country have separate stormwater and sanitary systems.)

When a heavy rain comes, many of our treatment plants cannot handle all the water. They overflow to outfall points called combined sewer overflows that convey the raw sewage, stormwater, floating trash, needles, industrial waste -- you name it -- into the nearest waterway. Also, even in dry periods, our old infrastructure leaks, releasing untreated sewage and stormwater into the ground and our water. In total, Indiana has 105 communities with CSO problems.

So what can we do? According to the EPA's 2008 Clean Watersheds Needs Survey Report, if Indiana wants to fix its combined sewer overflow problems, it would cost $5 billion more than we have. That makes us the sixth most expensive state to correct. Luckily, Indiana will get $35 million from the 2012 federal budget. Clearly, even with this funding, we have a large shortfall.

The state is making progress in reviewing and approving long-term control plans for Indiana's CSO communities. Yet these plans can take years to implement, and our waterways cannot wait that long.

We need the Legislature's assistance in finding innovative ways to make the investments to fix these issues. We need creative, progressive financing mechanisms that don't disproportionately impact communities and businesses that have little ability to pay.

Fixing our infrastructure would boost jobs and promote private-sector green infrastructure industries. We also need to advance understanding of green infrastructure opportunities throughout our region.

Let's follow Washington, D.C.'s path and fix these issues to keep fouled runoff out of our lakes, streams and rivers.

Susan MiHalo is board secretary and Nicole Barker is executive director of Save the Dunes. The opinion expressed in this column is the writers' and not necessarily that of The Times.