Federal funding gives a boost to projects in Astoria and Warrenton.
The $4-million package will help fund the Denver Street Combined Sewer Overflow project in Astoria, as well as an enclosed reservoir tank in Warrenton.
Astoria’s $9 million Denver Street CSO project is part of an ongoing federally mandated program to keep raw sewage from overflowing into the Columbia River and Youngs Bay during heavy rainstorms by keeping stormwater runoff out of sewer pipes. The CSO program is a massive 20-year infrastructure project that has already cost the city more than $10 million and is expected to rack up another $40 million or so before it’s finished.
Without grants, the only way to pay for water and sewer projects is by raising utility rates, City Manager Paul Benoit said, and that would be bad for the citizens of Astoria, particularly in these tough economic times.
Read the full story at The Daily Astorian.
