The House Transportation and Infrastructure Committee approved the Raw Sewage Community Right-to-Know Act (H.R. 2452) May 15, bringing the American public one step closer to knowing when it is safe to swim in local waters. The bill amends the Clean Water Act to provide stricter standards for public notification of sewage overflows.

Over 850 billion gallons of raw sewage are released into local waterways each year. H.R. 2452 requires publicly owned water treatment facilities to provide timely notice of any overflow to local authorities, public health officials, and the public at large. More detailed weekly and monthly reports would also be mandatory. Should the full Congress pass the legislation, it would create the first national public notification requirement for this type of pollution.

Introduced a year ago by Reps. Tim Bishop (D-NY) and Frank LoBiondo (R-NJ), the Sewage Right-to-Know Act has recently picked up speed in Congress. Following the committee vote, it now awaits consideration by the full House. With bipartisan support, the bill is expected to be scheduled for a vote before the August recess.

American Rivers, a prominent supporter of the bill, has been joined by over 150 other organizations to promote the legislation's passage. "Clean water isn't and shouldn't be a political issue," said American Rivers president Rebecca Wodder. She added, "Passing this law isn't about assigning blame, but rather shining a light on a rather odious problem to build support for solutions."

The main culprit in the massive sewage overflows is the aging — and in many cases, broken — water quality infrastructure in the country. As USA Today reported on May 7, billions of dollars will be spent over the next 20 years to repair and upgrade what the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) estimates to be 1.2 million miles of aging sewer lines.

A Gannett News analysis found that at least one-third of the sewage treatment systems the bill is aimed at were in violation of the Clean Water Act and other laws over the past five years. Gannett has developed a site to search for these sewage discharge violations on a state-by-state basis.

The Senate companion bill, S. 2080, was introduced by Sen. Frank Lautenberg (D-NJ) on Sept. 20, 2007, and has been referred to the Committee on Environment and Public Works. The National Association of Clean Water Agencies, which represents publicly owned wastewater utilities, is in full support of the bill.