Working toward Clean Rivers
By: Marchelle McConnell
Updated: February 18, 2010
Monday Mayor Tom Henry spoke about his efforts to improve the rivers in his state of the city address. The Mayors River efforts are connected to a federal mandate issues by the Environmental Protection Agency. The city is required to improve the rivers by 2025. The city has been working toward this for years. A city official says the reason the mayor included the rivers in his speech this year was to show his commitment to the mandatory project.
Abigail Frost, a local clean river activist and founder of Save Maumee, wants to see the city take more action. Frost says “I see them bringing up the rivers as movement and progression, yes. I eagerly anticipate what the city has planned in addition to the mandatory EPA regulated long term controlled plan.”
Frost says the city always has plans, but she wants to see more hands on projects.
Frank Suarez, with the City Utilities and Public Works, says “Right now we have the upper Healy interceptor which is a pipe that 52 inch wide. It's going in on the North side of Fort Wayne near DuPont and Leo Road, and it's going to relieve the amount of overflow from storm sewers.”
The city will start installing another sewer separation system in two weeks at the intersection of Woodrow and Vance.
Frost says the work the city is doing is progress, but to meet their goal by 2025 more needs to be done now.
