The Clean Water Shreveport program is the City of Shreveport’s formal effort to address the requirements of a federally mandated Consent Decree that was signed in 2014. The Consent Decree requires the City to address violations of the Clean Water Act caused by the degradation of the City’s sewer system resulting in sanitary sewer overflows, which are a release of untreated or partially treated sewage from a municipal sanitary sewer. The Consent Decree requires the City to make significant improvements to its sewer system by 2026.
In addition to the major improvements required under our Consent Decree, the City’s obligation to provide a reliable water system remains a top priority. The historic once-in-a-century winter weather event that took place at the beginning of this year had a significant impact on our water infrastructure. The storm confirmed that a balanced investment in both our wastewater and drinking water systems is necessary. Since the City’s Consent Decree was effective in 2014, a total of approximately $454 million has been invested into the City’s wastewater collection system and plants in comparison to the approximately $40 million invested in the City’s drinking water distribution system and plants. Going forward, the City needs to continue investments in both of its utilities to ensure sustainable and reliable service.
The City has implemented an integrated planning approach to identify high-priority critical water and wastewater system projects. These projects consider measures necessary to address sanitary sewer overflows, meet regulatory compliance requirements, and maintain reliable utility service. The City’s recently completed Water Master Plan was used to support the identification of critical water projects.
This report provides an update on the City’s program, including projects, activities, business and workforce development opportunities, and public outreach initiatives. These items are summarized in the following pages.
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