The Hammond Sanitary District (HSD) and the Town of Griffith (Griffith) today reached a binding agreement for sanitary sewer services and fees following protracted litigation and negotiations. “I’m pleased that the Sanitary District and the Town have finally come to mutual agreement over past and current sewer fees and a way forward in achieving clean water for our communities,” said Mayor Thomas M. McDermott, Jr. “It has taken a long time for us to get to a point where both parties can move forward in achieving the best possible result for our citizens and our environment.”
The agreement puts to rest the handling of past rate adjustments and capital expenditures by the District on behalf of the Town, provides a means to move forward with new rates and future capital improvements required by the USEPA’s Consent Decree with the Hammond Sanitary District as they relate to serving Griffith and, commits to undertaking a cost-of-service study for both parties.
HSD provides wastewater collection and treatment from the Town of Griffith (Griffith). In 1993, HSD entered into an agreement with the customer communities, including Griffith, which set the parameters for which HSD accepts flow from the customer communities. This agreement establishes clarifications to the original agreement.
HSD and some of their customer communities are being required to make significant capital improvements in the coming years as a result of increasing Federal regulations resulting from changes in the Clean Water Act. HSD expects an estimated $240 million in sewer improvements within their territory including new storm water and combined sewer overflow basins similar to the one recently constructed near the treatment plant along the Grand Calumet River, among other projects.