Accidental Sewer Releases Damaging Environment
In mankind's evolutionary process the species has eaten and produced waste just like any other animal.
This has caused problems when the human waste enters the water supply.
Today, we have modern sewer systems and simple technologies to prevent such things, well most of us do.
If you live in rural Africa or rural Honduras, you probably do not have a septic tank or sewer system.
Yet, in the first world we do and without it our society and civilization really could not be what it is today.
Of course, if you think our system in the USA is perfect you are not only misinformed you are incorrect.
"According to Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) estimates, there are over 40,000 - and perhaps as many as 75,000 - sanitary sewer overflows (SSOs) in the United States each year, releasing anywhere from 3 billion to 10 billion gallons of untreated wastewater.
" [Cite: Water World Magazine 2009].
What does this tell you? It tells you that we have a huge problem in the US and we need to work harder at cleaning up our _ _ _ _ .
How serious is it, well, think of it this way, every time there is a food recall from e.
Coli bacteria, there is a good chance it was caused by one of these spills.
Not long ago one of the most vocal groups on this issue in California, "Heal the Bay" noted that a mobile home park allowed a discharge into Malibu lagoon.
Huge government fines were issued, but had it been somewhere else, it probably would have gone unnoticed.
With regard to the above figures; ".
.
.
there are about 746 in 32 states [such spills that] account for the release of about 850 billion gallons of untreated wastewater and storm water each year.
As a result, pathogens, solids, surface debris and pollutants make their way directly to surface waters, contaminating drinking water supplies and endangering the health of local watersheds" [Cite: Water World Magazine 2009; Cover Story].
When we talk about the environment and CO2, maybe we ought to also be discussing human waste that flows into rivers, streams, storm drains, lakes, and oceans? Think on this.
This has caused problems when the human waste enters the water supply.
Today, we have modern sewer systems and simple technologies to prevent such things, well most of us do.
If you live in rural Africa or rural Honduras, you probably do not have a septic tank or sewer system.
Yet, in the first world we do and without it our society and civilization really could not be what it is today.
Of course, if you think our system in the USA is perfect you are not only misinformed you are incorrect.
"According to Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) estimates, there are over 40,000 - and perhaps as many as 75,000 - sanitary sewer overflows (SSOs) in the United States each year, releasing anywhere from 3 billion to 10 billion gallons of untreated wastewater.
" [Cite: Water World Magazine 2009].
What does this tell you? It tells you that we have a huge problem in the US and we need to work harder at cleaning up our _ _ _ _ .
How serious is it, well, think of it this way, every time there is a food recall from e.
Coli bacteria, there is a good chance it was caused by one of these spills.
Not long ago one of the most vocal groups on this issue in California, "Heal the Bay" noted that a mobile home park allowed a discharge into Malibu lagoon.
Huge government fines were issued, but had it been somewhere else, it probably would have gone unnoticed.
With regard to the above figures; ".
.
.
there are about 746 in 32 states [such spills that] account for the release of about 850 billion gallons of untreated wastewater and storm water each year.
As a result, pathogens, solids, surface debris and pollutants make their way directly to surface waters, contaminating drinking water supplies and endangering the health of local watersheds" [Cite: Water World Magazine 2009; Cover Story].
When we talk about the environment and CO2, maybe we ought to also be discussing human waste that flows into rivers, streams, storm drains, lakes, and oceans? Think on this.
Source...