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Across New Jersey, 30 combined sewer systems discharge 23 billiongallons of sewage and other pollutants each year into all of NewJersey's major water bodies. The Perth Amboy agreement requires the city to reduce the amount ofsewage and other pollutants that flow out of 16 combined sewerpoints into the Raritan River and Arthur Kill, a tidal straitseparating Staten Island, New York from mainland New Jersey. "Combined sewer overflows are a very serious public health andenvironmental problem in a number of New Jersey communities," saidJudith Enck, EPA Regional Administrator. "The improvements thatPerth Amboy will make under the agreement with the EPA will improvewater quality and protect community residents from exposure to rawsewage. Sewer upgrades made pursuant to this settlement are along-term investment in public health and clean water." The EPA says Perth Amboy violated the Clean Water Act and its NewJersey Department of Environmental Protection discharge permit byfailing to properly maintain and operate its sewer system, conductregular inspections and have a pollution prevention plan in place. The city also violated a previously issued EPA order to addressClean Water Act violations. Under the new agreement, Perth Amboywill conduct annual inspections of all of its combined sewer systemcontrol facilities and will develop and implement a combined seweroverflow pollution prevention plan. "This settlement will require vital investments in sewerinfrastructure that will help the city of Perth Amboy achievecompliance with the nation's Clean Water Act. More than 70 percentof these repairs will take place in and benefit lower-income areasof the city," said Ignacia Moreno, assistant attorney general forthe Environment and Natural Resources Division of the Department ofJustice. "This agreement will ensure that Perth Amboy's combined sewersystem is properly operated and maintained to minimize the numberof untreated discharges to the Raritan River and the Arthur Kill,"she said. First settled around 1683, Perth Amboy features a historicwaterfront, which has gone through a revitalization upgrade. Thisis where the city was first settled and one of the few places leftin New Jersey that has a historic and marina culture surrounded bywater. In response to the EPA's earlier enforcement efforts, Perth Amboyhas already completed a thorough inspection and engineeringassessment of its sewer system. As a result of that study, the citywill develop a plan to fix problems identified and do further workto separate the pipes so that some pipes will only carry wastewaterfrom buildings to the wastewater treatment plant instead of acombination of domestic wastewater and stormwater. Work already underway and work that will be conducted under thelegal settlement agreement will be completed by December 31, 2016. Copyright Environment News Service (ENS) 2012. All rights reserved. The e-commerce company in China offers quality products such as Motorcycle Valve Seal Manufacturer , Hydraulic Piston Seal, and more. For more , please visit Silicone Oil Seal today!
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