[Congressional Record Volume 153, Number 12 (Monday, January 22, 2007)]
[Extensions of Remarks]
[Page E167]
From the Congressional Record Online through the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]




                THE WATER QUALITY INVESTMENT ACT OF 2007

                                 ______
                                 

                        HON. BILL PASCRELL, JR.

                             of new jersey

                    in the house of representatives

                        Monday, January 22, 2007

  Mr. PASCRELL. Madam Speaker, last week I was proud to introduce the 
Water Quality Investment Act of 2007, along with original cosponsors 
Congressmen Dave Camp and Mike Capuano. This bipartisan legislation 
authorizes a $3 billion grant program over 6 years to control combined 
sewer overflows and sanitary sewer overflows.
  A combined sewer is a type of sewer system which provides partially 
separated channels for sanitary sewage and stormwater runoff. This 
allows the sanitary sewer system to provide backup capacity for the 
runoff sewer when runoff volumes are unusually high, but it is an 
antiquated system that is vulnerable to overflow during peak rainfall 
events. These overflows, called combined sewer overflows, CSOs, contain 
stormwater and untreated human and industrial waste, toxic materials, 
and debris that are very harmful to human health.
  Combined sewer systems serve roughly 772 American communities 
containing about 40 million people. My home state of New Jersey has 31 
combined sewer systems, with over 200 discharge points throughout the 
state. The EPA estimates that about 850 billion gallons of untreated 
wastewater and storm water are released as CSOs each year in the United 
States.
  Because CSOs contain raw sewage along with large volumes of storm 
water and contribute pathogens, solids, debris, and toxic pollutants to 
receiving waters, CSOs can create significant public health and water 
quality concerns. CSOs have contributed to beach closures, shellfish 
bed closures, contamination of drinking water supplies, and other 
environmental and public health concerns.
  A sanitary sewer overflow, SSO, occurs when raw sewage from municipal 
sanitary sewers unintentionally discharges, polluting our waters and 
backing up into basements. SSOs can be attributed to severe weather, 
vandalism, and a variety of other causes. The EPA estimates that there 
are at least 40,000 SSOs every year. In 2003, New Jersey closed over 
30,000 acres of classified shellfish growing areas in the Raritan Bay 
area due to a large SSO.
  Upgrading these systems is extremely expensive. The EPA estimates 
that the total cost of repairing the country's combined sewer systems 
is nearly $51 billion; the price tag for fixing U.S. sanitary sewer 
systems hovers around $89 billion.
  As the former mayor of Paterson, New Jersey, I fully understand the 
fiscal challenge that many municipalities face in meeting state and 
federal environmental standards. Many states find building or improving 
sewer infrastructure financially impossible without aid from the 
federal government. The Water Quality Investment Act of 2007 will help 
to alleviate this financial burden, so that municipalities are able to 
mitigate the harmful effects of CSOs and SSOs.
  Madam Speaker, I urge Congress to enact this important legislation, 
so that we may help our communities provide a cleaner, safer 
environment for their citizens.

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