Sewer Justice Team
Our sewer bills have increased 234% since 2000. The Metropolitan Sewer District of Greater Cincinnati (MSD) has been collecting our hard earned money since 2006 to spend it on a $3.2 billion dollar project called Project Groundwork. Project Groundwork is the response to a consent decree from the Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) after MSD’s Combined Sewer Overflows (CSOs) were found to be in violation of the Clean Water Act.
Hamilton County’s sewer system is not engineered to meet the needs of our increased population. When it rains too hard, CSOs overflow and mix raw sewage with stormwater overflow which floods residents' basements and backyards. This project is designed to stop sewage overflows and clean up our rivers and streams. However, thousands of residents are still dealing with sewage backups and MSD doesn't have a plan for completing the project to resolve overflows.
Communities United For Action has proposed the People's Sewer Justice Platform as a solution for systemic changes to make MSD more transparent and accountable and our sewers affordable for everyone.
In our campaign for #sewerjustice, CUFA has:
- Stopped six years of proposed rate increases
- Won a customer assistance program for low-income senior homeowners
- Won a new reporting dashboard detailing Project Groundwork project information and finances
- Won and extension of the 24-hour reporting requirement for sewer backups to 48 hours.
- Won funding to fix sewer overflows in Northside's Ludlow Run area.
Our Sewer Justice Team is working to win:
- Sewer fixes for neglected neighborhoods, with meaningful public engagement,
- Equitable sewer rates and expanded assistance programs, and
- Justice for sewer backup victims