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Published Monday, June 08, 2009 in Local

Grantville may receive stimulus money for sewer work

By Jeff Bishop

The Times-Herald

Grantville may get some much-needed sewer system repairs done if the Georgia Environmental Protection Division (EPD) approves the rehabilitation project.

The proposed project would rehabilitate Grantville's wastewater collection system. The project would include mapping, cleaning and inspecting the entire sewer system and rehabilitating the sewers and manholes found in need of repair.

The city has been hopeful it could secure federal stimulus funding for the project. Eager to show action on the ailing economy, President Barack Obama promised Monday to speed federal money into hundreds of public works projects this summer, vowing that 600,000 jobs would be created or saved, Associated Press reported.

President Obama pointed out that billions of dollars from a taxpayer-funded plan will be disbursed this summer.

"We've done more than ever, faster than ever, more responsibly than ever, to get the gears of the economy moving again," Obama said. Based on the work done across a broad spectrum of federal agencies during the first 100 days of the administration, the president said, "We're in a position to really accelerate."

The jobs initiative under the stimulus law covers an array of public works ranging from parks and wastewater projects to improvements at military facilities, airports and veterans medical centers.

The administration has always viewed the summer as a peak for stimulus spending, as better weather permits more public works construction and federal agencies have processed more requests.

The Georgia EPD is conducting a review of the proposed Grantville project in accordance with the state's Environmental Review Process for Clean Water State Revolving Fund projects.

The EPD has determined that the Grantville project is eligible for a "Categorical Exclusion." Projects that do not have a "significant social, economic, or environmental effect" are excluded from the state requirement to prepare an Environmental Assessment or an Environmental Impact Statement.

Since a "Categorical Exclusion" will be granted by the EPD, "no further environmental review is planned," said Carol A. Couch, director of the EPD, in a prepared statement.

The Grantville project is eligible for the exclusion because it is considered a "minor rehabilitation of existing facilities," Couch said.

"Furthermore, the project will not create a new... discharge to surface or ground waters," she said. The proposed project also met a number of other environmental criteria.

Anyone who disagrees with the EPD's decision to grant the Categorical Exclusion is urged to submit written comments within 30 days to the Georgia EPD, c/o Cheryl Smith, environmental engineer, 4220 International Parkway, Suite 101, Atlanta GA 30354.

"After evaluating the comments received, EPD will make a final decision regarding approval of the project," said Couch.

The White House has announced a Web site, http://www.whitehouse.gov/recovery , to allow people to share stories and videos of projects in their towns.

Federal agencies will release billions of stimulus dollars to states in the coming months, according to the AP.

Health and Human Services will provide funding for 1,129 health centers to provide expanded service for 300,000 patients (Coweta County is hopeful that it can snag some of this money for a new health department on Hospital Road); Interior will begin improvements on 107 national parks; Veterans Affairs will start work on 90 medical centers in 38 states; the Justice Department will fund 5,000 law enforcement jobs; the Agriculture Department will begin 200 new rural waste and water system projects; and the Environmental Protection Agency will begin or accelerate the cleanup of 20 Superfund sites.

(The Associated Press contributed to this news report.)

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