HomeMy WebLinkAboutRes 0374 - 1972 Water Control Act
WASHINGTON
RESOLUTION NO. 374
RESOLUTION URGING THE UNITED STATES CONGRESS
TO AMEND TIIE 1972 WATER CONTROL ACT.
-1-
CITY of UKW LA
WHEREAS, The protection and enhancement of environmental
quality is a vital concern of the City Council of the City of
Tukwila, Washington; and
WHEREAS, The preservation of water quality is a major
environmental goal which must be considered in relation to air
quality, land use and energy conservation; and
WHEREAS, it is the purpose and goal of the Municipality
of Metropolitan Seattle to secure and maintain high standards of
water quality for all receiving waters within its jurisdiction;
WHEREAS, Public Law 92 -500 of the 92nd Congress requires
that all publicly- -owned treatment works achieve "secondary treat-
ment" by July 1, :L977, prior to the achievement of "best practicable
treatment" by July 1, 1983; and
WHEREAS, Secondary treatment of municipal discharges for
removal of biochemical oxygen demand (BOD) is a process proven to
be unnecessary to the preservation of water quality in Puget Sound;
WHEREAS, Construction and operation of secondary treat-
ment facilities would impinge on valuable open space, and consume
scarce energy resources; and
WHEREAS, Major water quality improvements other than
secondary treatment, such as toxicity and floatables removal and
sewer separation, are considered to be essential to receiving
water quality; and
and
-2-
WHEREAS, Construction and operation of secondary
treatment facilities at Metro's four Puget Sound plants, includ-
ing West Point, would double operating costs and require a
$55 million capital expenditure which might otherwise be used for
higher priority water pollution control projects by other local
agencies in the Seattle area; and
WHEREAS, The rates charged our customers would reflect
the expenditure to meet the secondary treatment requirements; and
WHEREAS, This agency has higher priority water pollution
control projects on which funds need to be spent; and
WHEREAS, Limited allocations of federal funds will
prevent the Municipality from completing top priority water
quality projects while achieving both secondary treatment by
July 1, 1977, and "best practicable treatment" by July 1, 1983;
WHEREAS, A municipal system (Metro) must, at all times,
be in compliance with the requirements of the Federal Act or
modifications thereof, or no local sewage project will be eligible
for Federal funds; and
WHEREAS, There is, in fact, insufficient time for the
Municipality to meet the July 1, 1977, deadline for "secondary
treatment;" and
WHEREAS, To maintain and ensure high standards of
water quality for the metropolitan area at the earliest time and
in the most cost effective manner, it is necessary that the
Municipality proceed immediately with a program to provide
"hest practicable treatment" by July 1, 1983;
NOW, TIHEREFORE, BE IT RESOLVED That the City Council
of the City of Tukwila, Washington, urges the Congress to amend
the 1972 Water Quality Act to permit the Administrator of EPA to
modify the requirement of secondary treatment for any publicly
owned treatment works discharging through deep water outfalls
into the Pacific Ocean and the contiguous territorial seas
upon application and proof satisfactory to the Administrator
that alternative treatment processes would produce an equal or
better environmental effect on the receiving waters for a lesser
expenditure of public resources.
PASSED BY THE CITY COUNCIL OF THE CITY OF TUKWILA,
WASHINGTON, And approved by the Mayor at a regular meeting
thereof on September 17, 1973
Frank Todd Mayor
Shirlee Kinney City Clerk