Sewers at Capacity, Waste Poisons Waterways . New York Times, Monday November 23, 2009

In a series called Toxic Waters: Systems on the Brink, the New York Times reported on the incapacity of sewer systems in Brooklyn to absorb falling precipitation. On one day, a heavy rainfall "caused a rising tide throughout Brooklyn's sewers, and untreated feces and industrial waste started spilling from emergency relief valves into the Upper New York Bay and Gowanus Canal" (p. 1). According to one engineer, similar occurrences happen with rains over 20 minutes. The Clean Water Act of 1972, written to ensure renovation and replacement of deteriorating water and waste water systems, has failed to prevent contamination of the nation's water systems.

According to the article, "in the last three years alone, more than 9,400 of the nation's 25,000 sewage systems--including those in major cities--have reported violating the law by dumping untreated or partly treated human waste, chemicals and other hazardous materials into rivers and lake and elsewhere, according to data from state environmental agencies and the Environmental protection Agency" (p. 1). Charles Duhigg, the author, claimed that only one-fifth of the violators get fined or a citation.

Duhigg attributed a number of factors to the overflows of sewer systems--neglect, the increase of impervious surfaces, and urban sprawl. As a consequence, Duhigg referenced academic research that claimed that approximately 20 million people "become ill from drinking water containing bacteria and other pathogens that are often spread by untreated waste" (p. A18). Vulnerable to these conditions are children that suffer from diarrhea, swimmers, and citizens with basements damaged by sewer backups.

New York City officials have estimated that as much as a $58 billion infusion would improve greatly but not completely the city's system, with an 80 percent increase in customer water and sewer bills. The E.P.A. has calculated the national bill as $400 billion.