Action Alert --Call Gov

ACTION ALERT

from

NEW YORK RIVERS UNITED
July 19, 2005



Call Governor George Pataki.
Urge him to voice his support for
increased federal water infrastructure funding.

Take action today! Governor Pataki needs to let Congress know that federal funds provided through the Clean Water State Revolving Fund for improvement and maintenance of New York’s water infrastructure systems is essential to keeping sewage and stormwater pollution out of New York’s waterways.

Appropriations Committee staff has informed Clean Water Network Steering Committee members that in order to definitely secure the $1.1 billion the Senate appropriated for the Clean Water State Revolving Fund, the Chairmen (Rep. Charles Taylor and Sen. Conrad Burns) of the US Congress Subcommittee on Interior, Environment, and Related Agencies of the Appropriations Committee need to hear from Governors.

New York State’s aging wastewater infrastructure needs repairs in order to prevent dangerous wastewater disasters like sewage spills and basement backups. The Clean Water State Revolving Fund can help make those repairs happen by providing low-interest loans to state and local governments to rehabilitate aging sewer plants, minimize raw sewer overflows and reduce stormwater runoff. Gov. Pataki will be New York’s most effective advocate for securing these funds to improve New York’s water infrastructure system. He needs to call the conference committee chairmen and state his case for why more SRF funds are important to New York.



Take Action

Call Gov. Pataki today and urge him to call the committee chairmen, Sen. Conrad Burns (R-MT) and Rep. Charlie Taylor (R-NC), to discuss the need to adequately fund the Clean Water State Revolving Fund and the importance of this funding to the completion of clean water projects in New York. Ideally, a personal call from the Governor to the Chairmen will send the most powerful message. Gov. Pataki signed a letter in support of restoring funding levels for the SRF to its traditional level last year and would be a good candidate to send a strong message to the chairmen supporting the Senate-approved level of funding.




What to say

Ask to speak with either the governor directly or the governor’s federal environmental policy advisor.

The main points to make on the phone are:
(1) Express your support to the congressional committee chairs, Rep. Charlie Taylor of North Carolina and Senator Conrad Burns of Montana, for increasing the available funds for the Clean Water Revolving Fund to the level already approved by the Senate: $1.1 billion.
(2) Request the committee chairmen protect human health and the environment by supporting funding for the State Revolving Fund at $1.1 billion level approved by the Senate.
(3) New York desperately needs these additional funds to repair old sewer pipes, maintain our treatment facilities and keep raw sewage out of our waters and communities.
(4) Relate a personal story on how dilapidated sewer systems in New York are threatening the quality of life or property values in your community.

Additional information

The 1970s and 1980s saw a huge investment in wastewater treatment, but this investment has declined over the years even though there was an increase in population and development. Despite the investment of the 1970s and 1980s, the average age of sewage pipes is 33 years with many pipes being 50-100 years old. Additionally, development and sprawl are growing without the additional infrastructure necessary to accommodate the growing population. Many of these new areas of growth also depend on Combined Sewer Systems that reduce the number of pipes needed but making overflows more frequent by funneling both sewage and stormwater into the same pipes.

The effects of outdated infrastructure, growing population, sprawling development and combined sewer systems are all occurring simultaneously, creating a “perfect storm.” In a report to Congress, the EPA estimated that 1.3 trillion gallons of raw sewage escape from combined sewer overflows every year. The agency also reports that in 2001 there were approximately 40,000 sanitary sewer overflows and 400,000 sewage backups into basements. Cracks and breakdowns in aging infrastructure contribute additional undocumented sewage leaks.

The public health and environmental implications of these sewage overflows are tremendous. Sewage overflows dump bacteria, heavy metals and other toxins into our waters. Sewage carries with it numerous diseases that can end up in our drinking water supplies. Experts estimate that there are 7.1 million mild-to-moderate cases and 560,000 moderate-to-severe cases of infectious waterborne disease in the United States annually. Sewage overflows also kill aquatic life and create red tides, closing beaches and other recreational areas.

Despite all of these dangers, sewage treatment problems go largely ignored. Federal, state, and local wastewater treatment facilities are critically underfunded, keeping them from making crucial improvements and reducing their normal operation and maintenance abilities. According to the Water Infrastructure Network, there is a gap of $23 billion annually to meet water infrastructure repair and replacement needs.



Please let us know how your calls go and
what you are hearing from your governor’s office.

THANK YOU.


Bruce Carpenter
Executive Director
New York Rivers United

If you need more information on how the SRF is being used in your state, please contact Josh Klein at the Clean Water Network (202-289-2421 & jklein@nrdc.org) and Peter Raabe at American Rivers (202-347-7550 & praabe@americanrivers.org). Thank you for your support!



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