Wisconsin Forums

[AJE]

Aging Sewer Systems Contribute to the Problem

Many sewer systems in urban areas were built over a hundred years ago and were designed for a much smaller capacity of users. Some cities combine sewer systems pipins that carry rainwater from storm sewers with the pipes. Used to haul domestic and industrial wastewater. This would include water that we use in our homes such as showering, fushing the toilet and washing dishes. These pipes often fail to maximum capacity during heavy rainstorms. Unfortunately when the sewer systems reach capacity, extra sewage, which includes human, animal, and industrial waste, is usually discharged into our lakes, rivers and streams, making them contaminated. These discharges are called, combined sewer overflows or CSOs.


Aging Sewer Systems Contribute to the Problem

Then other communities have separate pipes for sanitary waste and stormwater (separated sewers). Just like combined sewer systems, separated systems can have capacity troubles and experience oveflows. These overflows are called sanitary sewer overflows or SSOs. Not all communities are served by sewage treatment plants. Many homeowners in country bergs and rural areas must provide their own septic system. Even these systems leak sewage directly into streams, YUK. With age
sewer lines can fail thanks to crumbling, corrosion and pure age the septic systems will leak a smelly flood of hell, trust me I have seen it happen! These inconveniences will allow raw sewage to enter both the surface and groundwater.


:arrow: Hold on its not all that bad, I do carry good news. My guidelines will outline a variety of measures you can take for mitigating or safeguard your community from unnecessary health risks associated with bacterial/viral pollution. Because every beach is different, this may not be intended for all places depending on the degree of contamination and if its been contained; rather, this is to provide a game plan which we all can utilize for the entire Great Lakes shores.