Kaptur Welcomes Federal Consent Decree For Lima

WASHINGTON, D.C. (Nov. 20, 2014) Congresswoman Kaptur today welcomed the announcement by the U.S. Department of Justice and the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (USEPA) of a consent decree with the city of Lima regarding untreated sewer discharges.

“This settlement comes as good news for Lake Erie,” said Kaptur. “The Ottawa River in Allen County is one of the major waterways in the entire Maumee River watershed.”

Terms of the proposed consent decree, which was filed yesterday in U.S. District Court for the Northern District of Ohio, will involve a $147 million construction project by the city of Lima to upgrade its wastewater treatment infrastructure.

Lima will double its wastewater treatment capacity from 30 million gallons a day to 70 million. It will also construct a new 13-million gallon storage tank to reduce sewer overflows.

Kaptur said the federal government should “work with communities such as Lima to explore means to lighten the financial burden of these long-term critical projects.”

Kaptur said the settlement is subject to a 30-day public comment period and final court approval.