U.S. EPA Deputy Administrator Janet McCabe, and EPA Region 5 Administrator Debra Shore, met with City of Greenville officials, including Mayor Steve Willman, and Safety Service Director Ryan Delk. EPA officials were impressed with the timely completion of Phase 1 of the Lead Service Line project, and the Palestine-Hollansburg Joint Sewer District.
Tammy Watts | Daily Advocate
By Tammy Watts
DailyAdvocate.com
GREENVILLE — U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) Deputy Administrator Janet McCabe visited Darke County on Friday, April 29. Debra Shore, Administrator for EPA Region 5 (which includes Illinois, Indiana, Michigan, Minnesota, Ohio and Wisconsin, as well as 35 federally recognized tribal nations) accompanied McCabe. The purpose of the visit was twofold — to learn about how Greenville successfully completed Phase 1 of the Lead Service Line Replacement, and the new Palestine-Hollansburg Joint Sewer District.
During Phase 1 of the Lead Service Line project, The City of Greenville replaced 133 water pipes, some dating back to the 1800s, that contained lead. “There is no safe amount of lead; it causes neurological damage, especially in young people,” stated McCabe. “Greenville is absolutely a model community for completing this project on time, and on budget, which is pretty unusual,” she added. Part of her role as EPA Deputy Administrator is to implement programs, and learning from the City of Greenville’s experience in putting federal funds to good use, will help her in that capacity.
“The Midwest has a lot of old infrastructure, and Ohio is second only to Illinois in having the most lead service lines in the country,” said Shore.
McCabe and Shore also toured the area of the new Palestine-Hollansburg Joint Sewer District. The small municipal sewer system is replacing individual septic tanks for more than 200 homes and businesses.
As Deputy Administrator, McCabe’s role is that of Chief Operating Officer, overseeing budget, human resources, planning, development of policy, and implementation of programs. She joined the EPA in November 2009, spending seven years working as Acting Assistant Administrator, and Principal Deputy to the Assistant Administrator in the Office of Air and Radiation under President Barack Obama. She was sworn in as Deputy Administrator in April 2021.
Contact Daily Advocate Reporter Tammy Watts at [email protected].
