WSSC lagging on sewer upgrades

The wastewater agency for nearly 2 million people in Montgomery and Prince George's counties has completed less than half of the sewer upgrades planned for the past fiscal year, the Washington Examiner reports.

In a letter obtained by the newspaper, Jerry Johnson, general manager of the Washington Suburban Sanitary Commission, said the agency completed just 42 percent of planned sewer main upgrades last fiscal year -- a $56.8 million effort.

During the period, WSSC renovated 19.4 miles of sewer mains -- far below the 46 miles of upgrades planned. Johnson said cost overruns, underperforming contractors and unrealistic projections for the work that had to be done delayed the projects.

Read more about WSSC and why it has fallen behind on planned upgrades in the Examiner.