Meridian residents will have less of a burden from the city’s federal consent decree as the city is set to receive a $10 million appropriation through recent federal appropriations bills.
The city agreed to a consent decree in 2019 after being sued by the Environmental Protection Agency, Department of Justice and Mississippi Department of Environmental Quality for repeated sanitary sewer overflows, which violate the Clean Water Act.
In a council of governments meeting Monday, Charlie Ballou, a constituent support coordinator for U.S. Rep. Michael Guest, who represents Meridian as part of Mississippi’s 3rd Congressional District, said the appropriations bill passed the House and is not expected to face much opposition in the Senate.
Sen. Cindy Hyde-Smith, who is one of Mississippi’s two senators, said in a news release Friday that the funding is part of an Energy and Water Funding bill, which was one of six appropriations bills sent to President Joe Biden for his signature. Also among the earmarks was $3.1 million for the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers for maintenance work at Okatibbee Lake.
“Mississippians rely on Army Corps works for flood protection, economic activities, and recreation, which makes the Energy and Water Development bill critical to our state. I believe the final negotiated bill will enable the Corps to improve harbors, ports, levees, and water and wastewater infrastructure in our state,” Hyde-Smith said.