Ottawa City Hall is applying for a grant to separate storm and sanitary sewers on the south side. Kevin Lindeman with the North Central Illinois Council of Governments says the neighborhood qualifies because about 59% of the residents are in low to moderate income households.
The city is separating the sewers, because the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency started cracking down on combined sewer overflow problems about 15 years ago. Combined sewers were built in the 1800’s when the prevailing wisdom was to let the unpleasant things out where nature can take care of them. The prevailing wisdom now is that nature doesn’t take care of them fast enough.
Lindeman says the Ottawa project is estimated to cost $1,640,684. The city’s asking for a grant of $1,258,684. The money comes from the U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development and goes through the Illinois Department of Commerce and Economic Opportunity.