As a resident of the Austin area and the Cedar River Watershed, we are disappointed in the vote to join a lawsuit against clean water taken by the Austin City Council. The article in the Daily Herald on Feb. 17 emphasized costs, which we read as

“responsibility” to meet new higher pollution standards affecting wastewater released from the Austin sewage treatment plant.

Cleaner water is a good thing. We need it, and so do the people living downstream. Instead of dumping public money into a black hole of a lawsuit trying to delay improvements to the water discharged from the city, let’s put that money toward upgrades necessary to clean up our waters. Is anyone satisfied with the quality of the water in the Cedar River?

We all need to do our part to clean up our waters. Has anyone noticed that Gov. Mark Dayton has proposed that taxpayers statewide help to fund upgrades such as Austin’s? Instead of complaining about the cost of cleaner water, let’s get in line to get some help moving forward and making these improvements.

Bill Buckley,

President of the Austin Izaak Walton League of America