Kansas City to Spend $2.5bn to Control Sewer Overflow

The US Justice Department and Environmental Protection Agency has said Kansas City must spend $2.5bn to cut sewage overflow and reduce pollution levels in urban stormwater.

The money will be spent over the next 25 years as a part of the city’s overflow control plan, which has emerged after four years of public input and to satisfy the US Clean Water Act.

Development, modification and repairs will be carried out on the sewer system to provide adequate infrastructure to tap the stormwater and direct it to the sewage treatment plants.

As part of the settlement, the city has agreed to install disinfection treatment systems at all of its wastewater treatment plants by 2013.

Kansas City will also pay a penalty of $600,000 to the US under the agreement.

Previously, an estimated 7 billion gallons of untreated sewage was discharged into rivers and local streams from the city.