Unfunded mandates by the federal Environmental Protection Agency could cost the city of Worcester between $20 million and $1 billion to comply with, according to a new report by the Worcester Regional Research Bureau.
The EPA is requiring the city to get a stormwater discharge permit, which could impose stricter water quality standards on the city’s stormwater management infrastructure, according to the bureau.
The cost of compliance will likely be paid for by ratepayers as there are no significant state or federal funding sources to support the project.
Meanwhile, sewer bills in the city have already increased more than 200 percent in the last decade, mainly because of other unfunded mandates from the EPA, the bureau found.
The bureau’s report recommends, in part, that the EPA should enhance civic education on the issue and that the city should continue to explore, where possible, environmentally-friendly infrastructure.
The full report can be read here.
