News Service Analyzes Sewer Overflows

Despite years of fines and penalties holding public agencies responsible for sewage overflows, aging U.S. sewer systems continue to release unacceptable amounts of human waste into water bodies, according to a new Gannett News Service analysis based on U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) data.

The analysis determined that since 2003, hundreds of municipal sewer authorities have been fined for sewage overflow violations--the results of which can sicken people, pollute drinking water resources and endanger plants and wildlife. The EPA estimates that local governments will invest billions of dollars in updating failing wastewater systems over the next 10 to 20 years. Approximately 1.2 million miles of sewers run underground in the U.S., according to EPA calculations.

From January 2003 to February 2008, at least one-third of large, publicly owned U.S. sewage treatment systems faced formal EPA or state enforcement actions for sewage spills and similar violations, according to the analysis. Approximately $35 million in fines were doled out. Cities with the most significant fines included San Diego ($6.2 million), New York ($3 million) and Los Angeles ($1.6 million).

"When people flush their toilets, they think sewage is going to the treatment plant, and that's where they deserve to have it go," said Nancy Stoner, project director at the Natural Resources Defense Council.

Source: USA Today