Administration Proposes to Allow Release of Partially Treated Sewage on

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Administration Proposes to Allow Release of Partially Treated

Sewage on Rainy Days

 

 

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October 4, 2004 | Back Issues

 

Administration Proposes to Allow Release of Partially Treated Sewage

on Rainy Days

 

Sewage that has not been properly treated would be routinely released

into American waterways on rainy or snowy days, under an

administration proposal that may soon become final.

 

Under the Clean Water Act, it is illegal to mix largely untreated

sewage with fully treated wastewater (a process known as " blending " )

prior to releasing it -- except in dire emergencies, such as

hurricanes, said Nancy Stoner, director of the Clean Water Project for

the Natural Resources Defense Council (NRDC).

 

" Current law allows this only when there are no feasible

alternatives, " she told BushGreenwatch. " This proposal would make it

routine, and that's unacceptable. "

 

Typically, sewage goes through three types of treatment before it is

discharged into the water system. First, solids are removed. Then, the

sewage is treated for the removal of viruses, parasites and nutrient

pollution, which can reduce the oxygen level in water. Last, the

sewage is disinfected to remove bacteria. In " blending, " the second

phase of treatment is skipped, which makes the third phase far less

effective as well, said Stoner.

 

NRDC tests found a 1,000-times greater likelihood that people would

become ill with gastrointestinal problems from swimming near blended

sewage than they would from swimming near fully treated sewage

releases, said Stoner.

 

The Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) proposal would allow

" blending " practices anytime it rained, as well as during snow melts.

According to Clean Water Action, the proposal is the administration's

answer to " insufficient maintenance of aging sewer systems. " [1] The

administration has also proposed substantial budget cuts to a fund

that provides assistance to states to maintain aging sewer systems.

 

The Clean Water Action website emphasizes that releasing blended

sewage into the nation's waterways can have serious public health

consequences. Sewage spillovers resulting from heavy rainfall preceded

" more than half of U.S. waterborne disease outbreaks in the past 50

years, " the website notes. " The Centers for Disease Control estimates

7.1 million annual cases of mild to moderate and 560,000 cases of

moderate to severe infectious waterborne diseases. "

 

" Sewage in our waterways closes beaches, kills fish, shuts down

shellfish beds, and causes gastrointestinal and respiratory

illnesses, " the website notes. " In 2000 alone, sewage contamination

caused or contributed to over 2,000 beach closings and advisories. "

 

More than 100,000 comments have been submitted to the EPA in

opposition to its proposal. While the public comment period is now

closed, the agency has not yet published its final rule.

 

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SOURCES:

[1] Clean Water Action website.

 

 

 

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