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2015 SESSION

15104290D
HOUSE JOINT RESOLUTION NO. 729
Offered February 2, 2015
Commending the Hampton Roads Sanitation District.
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Patrons-- Knight; Senator: Wagner
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WHEREAS, the Spratley Commission was created in 1927 to study the effects of sewage pollution on the seafood industry; and

WHEREAS, the worsening problem led the General Assembly to establish the Hampton Roads Sewage Disposal Commission on March 27, 1934, to act as a liaison and to educate the public on the extent of pollution and how to eliminate it; and

WHEREAS, on November 5, 1940, the citizens of the region approved a referendum to create the Hampton Roads Sanitation District to provide for sewage disposal plants to rid the waters of Hampton Roads of pollution; and

WHEREAS, the Hampton Roads Sanitation District now serves 17 cities and counties in southeast Virginia, an area of 3,100 square miles with a population of more than 1.6 million; and

WHEREAS, the Hampton Roads Sanitation District effectively operates a system of more than 500 miles of pipelines and 13 treatment plants, which have earned national awards for outstanding compliance with their environmental permits; and

WHEREAS, the Hampton Roads Sanitation District has engaged in pioneering research that has contributed to the development of innovative wastewater treatment throughout the world and created partnerships to patent resultant technologies; and

WHEREAS, the Hampton Roads Sanitation District has been at the forefront of many sustainability initiatives, including the first municipal water reuse program in the Commonwealth and installing a system at one plant to generate renewable power and heat from anaerobic digester gas; and

WHEREAS, the Hampton Roads Sanitation District has been committed to the creation of a nutrient removal program that provides value to its ratepayers and has implemented three ground-breaking initiatives to reduce the cost of nutrient removal compliance; and

WHEREAS, the Hampton Roads Sanitation District has been honored with the Platinum Excellence in Management Award from the National Association of Clean Water Agencies; and

WHEREAS, the Hampton Roads Sanitation District’s dedicated employees, many of whom have been recognized as industry leaders, continue to perpetuate an invaluable legacy by working diligently to protect public health and the waterways of coastal Virginia; now, therefore, be it

RESOLVED by the House of Delegates, the Senate concurring, That the General Assembly hereby commend the Hampton Roads Sanitation District on the occasion of the 75th anniversary of its creation; and, be it

RESOLVED FURTHER, That the Clerk of the House of Delegates prepare a copy of this resolution for presentation to the Hampton Roads Sanitation District as an expression of the General Assembly’s admiration for its work to ensure that future generations will inherit clean waterways and be able to keep them clean.