Assessing the Regulators Position in Allegheny County

The Allegheny County Sanitary Authority (ALCOSAN) and its 83 service communities have a problem with their sewer infrastructure. The sewage collection systems need to be rehabilitated and regional measures must be taken to address wet-weather sewage overflows. The cost to achieve compliance with Clean Water Act and CSO Policy has been estimated at $3 billion under a Long Term Wet Weather Concept Control Plan developed by ALCOSAN. This concept plan was not well received by the Service Communities and a regional solution did not seem possible. The Regulatory Agencies needed to step in and facilitate a process to develop a Regional Long Term Control Plan that would be acceptable to all the various stakeholders in the region.