(RICHMOND, VA)—Virginia Governor Terry McAuliffe has proposed giving Alexandria until as late as 2030 to address upgrades to its outdated combined sewer system, which sends untreated sewage into waterways and jeopardizes human health and water quality. A bill recently passed by the General Assembly would require Alexandria to complete this work by 2025. In response Chesapeake Bay Foundation Virginia Executive Director Rebecca LePrell released the following statement:
"Chesapeake Bay Foundation greatly appreciates the concern of the General Assembly and Governor McAuliffe about ongoing discharges of untreated sewage into our waterways from Alexandria's outdated combined sewer system. These discharges create human health risks and water quality problems in the Potomac River and the Chesapeake Bay. We applaud legislators for recognizing this urgency.
"It is imperative, therefore, to hold Alexandria to an aggressive and practicable time frame for completing necessary sewer system upgrades. The 2025 deadline proposed by legislators is ideal. However, this bill may fail if legislators and the governor cannot agree on a deadline. That would be a significant setback in addressing Alexandria's dangerously outdated sewer system. We urge Governor McAuliffe and Virginia's legislators to find a solution with the strictest feasible deadlines for fixing this problem."
