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Protecting Your Right-to-Know about Sewage Overflows Approximately 40,000 times a year, raw sewage runs into lakes, rivers and coastal waters across this country when sanitary sewer systems overflow. Many of these sanitary sewer systems are antiquated and cannot handle the volume of materials flowing into them during extreme weather occurrences, for example; very heavy rain storms. The overflows contain bacteria and viruses, fecal matter, untreated industrial wastes, toilet paper, excessive phosphorus and nitrogen, and a host of other wastes. Sewer overflows cause fish kills, gastrointestinal illness, beach closings, and shellfish bed closures. Raw sewage is filled with bacteria and viruses that make people sick. Pathogens in sewage-contaminated waters can cause a wide range of ear, nose, and throat problems, gastroenteritis, dysentery, hepatitis, and respiratory illness. According to U.S. EPA, between 1.8 and 3.5 million people get sick every year from swimming in waters that are contaminated with raw sewage discharges from sanitary sewer overflows. In 2001, nearly 1,900 of the nation’s beach closures and health advisories were due to sewage spills and overflows, threatening public health, family vacations, recreational use of waterways, and billions of tourist dollars. The Raw Sewage Community Right-to-Know Act (H.R. 2215) was recently introduced into the house of representatives by Representative Tim Bishop. This bill would help keep our lakes, rivers and coasts cleaner and safer through faster detection of overflows and better public notification when overflows occur. The Act would also authorize funding to cities for the prevention of further overflows. Please contact your Representative and urge them to cosponsor this bill. You may write your Representative at:
The Honorable (Full name) Or call them by contacting the U.S. Capitol Switchboard, (202)224-3121 and asking to speak to your Representative.
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