WASHINGTON – The U.S. House of Representatives today approved a water resources bill that includes a $14.7 million request from U.S. Rep. Benjamin L. Cardin for the Army Corps of Engineers to begin an environmental restoration and sewer replacement project in Baltimore City.

The Water Resources Development Act authorizes replacement of the main sewer line which runs under much of the Gwynns Falls. The cost of this work is estimated at approximately $10 million. The balance of the project will restore the waterway and its watershed. Replacing the deteriorated sewer line is essential to the success of any environmental work because of the close proximity of the Gwynns Falls watershed with the sewer system. In recent years, increasing numbers of sewer lines across the region have ruptured, sending contaminated sewage into various waterways.

"This project is important in helping Baltimore City replace its aging sewer lines. Some of these lines are 100 years old and were never expected to last a century. As a nation, we need to put added resources into our aging infrastructure," said Rep. Cardin. "I am pleased the Army Corps of Engineers will be a partner in this major effort."

The Gwynns Falls flows through numerous urban communities, city parks and green spaces, and improvements to the ecosystem will directly benefit these neighborhoods and resources. Restoration work on the Gwynns Falls will also enhance the Gwynns Falls Trail, a greenway/bikepath being built through the watershed from the terminus of I-70 near Woodlawn to the Inner Harbor.

Replacing aging sewer lines is a top priority for Baltimore City. In April 2002, Baltimore City signed a consent degree with the Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) to replace its aging sewers. The Gwynns Falls project is a priority under the agreement.

Last week the Senate approved an amendment to the fiscal year 2004 Energy and Water Appropriations bill offered by Maryland Sens. Paul Sarbanes and Barbara Mikulski authorizing and directing the Corps to implement the $14.7 million Gwynns Falls project in it’s entirety, including rehabilitating sewer systems.