By Rachel Lippmann, St. Louis Public Radio
St. Louis – The Metropolitan Sewer District is giving residents a chance to find out more about a $1.9 billion project designed to clean up area waterways.
By federal law, MSD is required to reduce the amount of sewage that flows into the area's streams and rivers during heavy rain. In some parts of the service area, customers do not have separate sanitary and storm sewers, and the system can be overwhelmed in storms.
Spokesman Lance LeComb said part of the project will be to increase the amount of water the system can handle.
"But also trying to find some ways to take some rainwater off of that system, and that's where the green practices come into play," LeComb said. "And that could be the introduction of rain barrels, rain gardens, any number of initiatives."
LeComb said MSD will be looking for as much state and federal assistance as possible to complete the project. But he said most of the funds will have to come from ratepayers.
The first of eight meetings on the project is tonight (Mon. 10/26) at 5:30 at the New City School in the Central West End.