Clean water and green jobs

Governor Tim Kaine announced that loan agreements and contracts for 35 water quality projects are in place to use some $77.7 million in funding from the American Recovery and Reinvestment Act. The projects, which are found all across the state, will improve facilities treating wastewater thereby helping to clean up Virginia's streams and rivers. Of course, building and renovating these facilities will create jobs and help stimulate local economies, too. Good news on several fronts. Among the projects:

• Wastewater reuse projects in Fairfax will reduce nasty discharges into the Chesapeake Bay by 580 million gallons per day.
• Projects in Lynchburg will move forward several projects eliminating raw sewage discharges at two points into the James River. How is such dumping allowed?
• Richmond will get funding to help move forward on a sewer overflow project.
• Communities in southwest Virginia will get funding to provide sewer service to areas with failing septic systems/drainfields.

The best managed state in the nation was very efficient at moving the paperwork forward so these projects can begin sooner rather than later - only Minnesota finished the process quicker. That is good news for cleaning up our waters and for desperately needed jobs. To the Department of Environmental Quality - Great Job!