TRAVERSE CITY, Mich. (AP) — Efforts to upgrade crumbling sewer systems in the Great Lakes region would take a hit under a 20 percent cut President Barack Obama proposed for a federal wastewater loan program, advocates said Wednesday.

The region’s eight states receive roughly one-third of the money from the fund, which provides low-interest loans for communities to replace aging pipes and make other improvements in their drinking water and sewage treatment infrastructure. Under the 2013 budget Obama released this week, the Great Lakes region would get about $427 million, down from $533 million this year. Nationwide, nearly $1.2 billion would be available.

"That’s a problem we’re going to have to work on and reverse,” said Jeff Skelding, director of the Healing Our Waters-Great Lakes Coalition, which represents more than 100 conservation and environmental groups. “The nation needs to be increasing, not cutting, its investment in these funds.”

Cities in the region have made improvements. But overflows of untreated or partially treated sewage and polluted stormwater remain a big problem. A 2010 study by Healing Our Waters found that during the previous year, 41 billion gallons were discharged into the lakes by five cities: Cleveland, Detroit, Milwaukee, Buffalo, N.Y., and Gary, Ind.

Sewage overflows sometimes lead to beach closures when bacteria levels in near-shore waters get too high.

Skelding said his coalition would lobby Congress to keep funding of the federal loan program at its existing level or increase it.

Lisa Jackson, chief of the Environmental Protection Agency, said this week that protecting U.S. water quality remains a top priority despite cutbacks in some programs.

"These are difficult times and we have competing priorities,” Jackson said.

She said the administration is putting together a plan for making the most efficient use of water system funding. It will include stepped-up use of “green infrastructure” — wetlands, permeable pavement and other features that help rainwater soak into the ground instead of flowing into swollen streams and lakes.

Chuck Hersey, planning and policy development leader with the Southeast Michigan Council of Governments, said the proposed cut in federal loans was disappointing. “They’re cutting 20 percent out of a number that was woefully inadequate to begin with,” he said.

While sewer overflows draw lots of attention, an even bigger problem is leaks in underground pipes that enable groundwater to seep in and flow to plants where it gets unnecessary treatment, Hersey said. Pipes sometimes deteriorate to the point that they burst — a huge expense to fix.

“One could argue we’ll see even more of these things happen” as system upgrades are delayed, he said.

Federal funding of water treatment systems is higher than it was before Obama took office, thanks to an infusion of economic stimulus money, said David Ullrich, director of the Great Lakes and St. Lawrence Cities Initiative.

“So for that we’re thankful, but we are so far behind on making the necessary investments to bring the systems up to date that any reduction hurts,” he said.

Posted 2/16/2012