Since 1996, the Jefferson County Commission has been bound by a consent decree over the county sewer system. That is something commissioners want to change.
On Tuesday, the Commission filed a motion to be released from the consent decree.
The county claims it has demonstrated “constant compliance” and that the Jefferson County Environmental Services has achieved outstanding performance in meeting the effluent standards of its NPDES permits.
There were nine facilities under the decree, but there are currently only four water reclamation systems: Cahaba River, Village Creek, Valley Creek and Five-Mile Creek.
“The County has been in this consent decree for almost 27 years and to our knowledge it is the longest that any community has been under a consent decree under the Clean Water Act,” the Commission released in a statement.
The Commission said the county has also reduced sanitary sewer overflows and has established operating and capital programs.
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