Fort Wayne is committed to the principles of Community Oriented Government (COG). One of the fundamental principles of COG is that citizens have the opportunity learn about issues and participate in the decision-making process. The EPA’s CSO Control Policy and State’s CSO strategy require the City to include the public in the long term planning decision making process. The City took a more aggressive approach by involving the public earlier in the process by creating a Sewer Task Force that worked on a number of sewer issues between September 1995 and October 1996. By involving the public in the decision making process, City Utilities hopes to implement the best overall solutions to problems.
Accomplishments
Sewer Task Force
The STF was a forum for citizens to participate with City Utilities officials in selection of priorities and alternatives. The Mayor created the Task Force, but members were volunteers appointed by the City’s four Area Partnerships. Each Partnership had four representatives on the Task Force. Interested citizens who were not selected members of the Task Force were encouraged to attend meetings and participate through their representatives. A committee of this kind was not required in the CSSOP, but the City felt it necessary to involve the public as early as possible in the planning process. The Task Force also looked at a number of other sewer issues in addition to CSOs.
The Task Force originally committed to a one year term and completed work on a set of recommendations to the Mayor in about 14 months. One of the recommendations was that some type of advisory group continue to exist to oversee implementation of the recommendations and to provide input on CSO and other issues. In January 1997, a Sewer Advisory Group was formed with two representatives of each Area Partnership and a representative of the Chamber of Commerce. Other interest groups were asked to send advisory members to add perspective to the deliberations of the Sewer Advisory Group. This type of forum for CSO issues will continue through the development and implementation of the Long Term Control Plan.
Board of Public Works
The Board of Public Works (BOW) must approve certain capital expenditures and therefore have final say. The BOW consists of three members appointed by the Mayor. Because the BOW approves the budget for City Utilities, receives bids and approves all construction contracts, the Board serves as a vehicle for notification of the public about CSOs and occurrences and the long-term requirement for public participation.
Public Information Office
The City of Fort Wayne has a well established and professional Public Information Office (PIO). An effective way of conveying CSO information is by targeting audiences, such as businesses, politicians, environmental groups, and the general public, with different kinds of approaches. The PIO coordinates CSO information and education programming with the CSO Program Manager. Every citizen should have the opportunity to participate in local decision making.
CSO Brochure
Fort Wayne has created an informational brochure about Combined Sewer Overflows. It is available here, or for a copy, please contact the Public Information Office at (260) 427-1120.
Educational Presentation
The technical issues concerning CSOs be confusing. Citizens in Fort Wayne, as in other communities, face a number of sewer-related issues such as street flooding, basement backups and the misunderstanding of the role of State and Federal regulators. Sewer Task Force members became well-versed in the issues concerning CSOs and participated in dialogue with City Utilities staff. In order to help more citizens understand CSO issues, the Public Information Office and CSO Program Manager are developing the presentations and materials necessary to give interested citizens the opportunity to educate themselves.
An educational program that can be made available to community groups will include the following topics:
- CSO impacts on the use of rivers;
- potential health risks;
- the nature of combined sewer systems and why they overflow;
- legal requirements;
- the potential costs for CSO abatement.
CSO Hotline
More information about the effects of CSOs on river water quality is available on the CSO Hotline, part of Fort Wayne Newspapers’ CityLine service. The Hotline provides pre-recorded messages about Fort Wayne’s rivers. The CSO Hotline is being updated twice weekly with the latest results of bacteriological tests on water from the St. Joseph, St. Mary’s and Maumee Rivers. While much of the pollution in Fort Wayne’s rivers comes from upstream, CSOs can have an impact on river water quality. The Hotline provides the current river quality conditions including cautions about body contact during wet weather events.
The CSO Hotline may be reached by calling:
(260) 427-2297
Bag-A-Thon
The annual “Bag-A-Thon” event, sponsored in May by the City’s Solid Waste Management (SWM) Department, help emphasize general environmental issues. It includes riverbank clean-up.
For more information or to volunteer for the Bag-A-Thon, call Fort Wayne’s Solid Waste Department at:
(260) 427-2474
Signs
Indiana’s CSO strategy requires that notice signs with information about CSOs and their effects be installed in areas where people have access to rivers.