AMERICA’S CRUMBLING INFRASTRUCTURE—OUR SEWER AND WATER SYSTEMS

 Cities have changed more since the Industrial Revolution than in all the previous centuries of their existence. New York had a population of about 313,000 in 1840 but had reached 4,767,000 in 1910. Chicago exploded from 4,000 to 2,185,000 during the same period. Millions of rural dwellers, no longer needed on farms, flocked to the cities where new factories churned out products for the new markets made accessible by railroads and steamships. Raw sewage is supposed to be carried to wastewater treatment plants for processing. Yet our sewage collection systems -- 200 years old in places -- are plagued today by broken, leaking or overloaded pipes that allow untreated sewage to be released directly into the environment on a routine basis.

A February 2004 report by NRDC and the Environmental Integrity Project shows that sewage overflows -- some legal, some not -- are creating an environmental and public health crisis: Untreated sewage carries a dangerous cargo of infectious bacteria, viruses, parasites and toxic chemicals. When it ends up in our recreational areas and especially our drinking water, in groundwater and in the basements of our homes, it takes a severe toll on human health and the environment: Each year 1.8 million to 3.5 million illnesses are caused by swimming in water contaminated by sewage overflows, and an additional 500,000 from drinking contaminated water. U.S. medical costs associated with consuming sewage-contaminated shellfish range from $2.5 million to $22 million each year.

Under both the Clean Water Act and the Safe Drinking Water Act programs called State Revolving Funds udsually help local communities meet water quality standards, repair and replace old and decaying pipelines and treatment plants, and ensure continued progress toward restoring the health and safety of America's water bodies. In 2001 the Bush administration, calling for more study, shelved a regulation that would have controlled raw sewage discharges and required the public to be notified when sewer overflows occur. The EPA estimates that the nation must invest more than 400+ billion dollars over the next 20 years to replace existing systems and build new ones to meet increasing population demands. Yet in 2005 Congress cut funding for wastewater  management for the first time in eight years. The Bush administration then proposed a further 33% reduction to $730 billion. The actions required for the future are obvious but no one seems to be listening. Our future as a healthy and viable nation are in jeopardy.