Disinfecting of waterways vital

When I ran for Metropolitan Water Reclamation District Commissioner in 2009, I supported disinfection of the wastewater that this agency releases into the waterways. Disinfection removes the pathogens from treated wastewater that can make people who come in contact with the water sick. Disinfection, an important step in protecting the public health, is practiced in every other major city.

As elected officials we should be working to protect public health. MWRD is a clean-water agency, and therefore it follows that our agency would work to make our vibrant, valuable rivers as clean as possible. However, disinfection is not only the right thing to do, it’s the law. The EPA recognized this in its letter to the Illinois EPA this month. Since the passage of the Clean Water Act, our waterways have become much cleaner. But, the Clean Water Act doesn’t permit us to rest on our laurels. The law requires that we continually re-evaluate water quality standards to ensure that the “highest attainable uses” of our waterways are protected.

At the MWRD, we pride ourselves in our ability to accomplish great feats of engineering. We are the agency that reversed the flow of the Chicago River to protect drinking water. The MWRD can establish ourselves as a 21st century leader in water management by embracing a universal 20th century technology.

It’s time to stop fighting disinfection and use our time and energy to focus on solutions. It’s time to call upon our talented staff to plan and implement disinfection at the North Side and Calumet plants. Further, it’s time to work with state and federal officials to find solutions to fund these water quality services. The question shouldn’t be whether we clean up the Chicago River, it should be how we can create a cleaner river as swiftly as possible.

Mariyana Spyropoulos

Commissioner

Metropolitan Water Reclamation District