Mayor Ballard Presents Best Practices at U.S. Conference of Mayors Water Summit 12.9.10

Mayor shares with city leaders from across America Indianapolis’ innovative plans for CSO enhancements, utilities transfer, RebuildIndy infrastructure improvements and SustainIndy programs
INDIANAPOLIS – While local governments across America are reducing infrastructure development, with municipalities on pace to cut infrastructure spending by 7 percent this year, Indianapolis is engaged in unprecedented investment in its infrastructure. The city Newsweek magazine recently named one of the top Ten in America most poised for recovery is using innovative plans to enhance its core infrastructure, improving quality of life for residents and the City’s foundation for future economic development.

Today, Mayor Greg Ballard shared those plans with a gathering of the nation’s city leaders at the U.S. Conference of Mayors Water Summit in Washington, D.C.

“Municipalities across the country are facing budget challenges, and they are noticing the improvements and decisions we are making in Indianapolis,” said Mayor Ballard. “We are moving forward with unprecedented progress that others are seeking to emulate, and we want to help other cities find efficiencies and savings as we have been able to achieve.”

Mayor Ballard was invited to present details of the City’s innovative strategies to this week’s US Conference of Mayors’ gathering of mayors and other city leaders. Topics of the presentation include the recently approved Combined Sewer Overflow (CSO) Consent Decree Enhancement Plan, water and wastewater utilities transfer, RebuildIndy infrastructure improvements already underway, and SustainIndy programs that secure the long-term stability and positive environmental impact of the City.

The transfer of the water and wastewater utilities to Citizens Energy Group, a non-profit charitable public

trust, was approved by the City-County Council July 26. If it is approved by the Indiana Utility Regulatory

Commission (IURC), the City will invest more than $425 million into the RebuildIndy program. This is in

addition to the $88 million already committed for transportation improvements in 2010.

This summer, the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) and Indiana Department of Environmental Management (IDEM) approved modifications developed by the Department of Public Works to the City’s Consent Decree. The Consent Decree, established in 2006 to address the problem of raw sewage flowing into streams and waterways through combined sewers across the City, was $300 million over budget when Mayor Ballard took office. The modifications will produce savings of $740 million and divert ahead of schedule 3.5 billion gallons of sewage out of Indianapolis waterways. This is one of the first consent decree amendments negotiated with the EPA that resulted in a cost savings as well as more sewage captured sooner. The US EPA declared the amendment a “win-win”.

The U.S. Conference of Mayors Water Summit takes place this year Dec. 8-9 in Washington, DC. The annual event is organized as a series of forums and presentations where mayors and water industry leaders from across the country share ideas and effective practices in water systems management, funding and operations as well as an opportunity to review federal initiatives, mandates and policy guidelines.

Molly Deuberry is Communications Director for Department of Public Works - Office of Mayor Greg Ballard - The City of Indianapolis

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