The Legislature's intention to force Wilmington to renovate its sewer system so storm water runoff doesn't cause raw sewage to spill into rivers and creeks is a wonderful idea. As it stands at the moment, Mayor James Baker is scrambling to raise city taxes to avoid balancing the city budget by siphoning off sewer fees needed to improve the system. Fixing the storm water problem quickly would bankrupt the city.
State legislators know that.
Without back-up money to help, this legislation is merely a gratuitous swipe at municipal officials who are as worried about sewage as everybody else. It's a common problem in older cities in the Northeast. When sewers were built more than a century ago, nobody worried much about storm water runoff. As paved roads multiplied and urban development expanded, it became necessary to keep rains from causing flash flooding. Storm water was funneled into the sewers.