June 19th, 2014 by WCBC Radio
With the mayor now on record as saying it can’t be done without significant state funding- and the county commissioners exploring the idea of building a new regional wastewater treatment plant- Cumberland City Councilman David Kauffman is requesting a meeting involving all parties to discuss the issues. At a meeting held at City Hall back in March, a Maryland Department of the Environment official called a proposed city project to prevent combined sewer overflow dumping into the Potomac River a “sound plan.” Cumberland officials have been searching for ways to finance a $30 million initial phase of a larger $91 million three-phase overflow abatement project. With all municipalities under a state order to halt overflow dumping by 2023, Frostburg, Allegany County and the LaVale Sanitary Commission, who all utilize Cumberland’s wastewater treatment plant, are in dispute over the potential surcharges they may face stemming from Cumberland’s proposed CSO abatement project. Mayor Brian Grim acknowledged this week that there is no way the city or the residents can afford the project at this point…
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