The EPA says every year 14 billion gallonsof wastewater is dumped into the Mill Creek. This is because Cincinnati's sewer system is too old to handle the stormwater runoff and it mixes with sewage in one series of pipes.
Cincinnati and cities across the country are under afederal mandateto update their antiquated systems. As you can imagine, each city will pay billions to upgrade. MSD Executive Director Tony Parrott says his agency has developed software to prioritize and make the project more cost efficient.
He is offering the metric up to other cities for use in their sewer rebuilds. Parrott is under pressure to keep a lid on the cost. Hamilton County sewer rates have gone up 5-percent this year, and 85 percent since 2006.
