|
Clean Water News
For Immediate Release:
2005-11-30
For More Information:
Contact Jeff McCourt (614) 460-8732 jmccourt@environmentohio.org Over Eight Billion Gallons of Sewage Dumped into Lake Erie & Waterways in the Lake Erie Basin in 2004Ohio PIRG Works with Representative Oelslager to Offer New Solutions As the new home of Ohio PIRG's environmental work, Environment Ohio can be contacted regarding this release. COLUMBUS—A new report “Sewage Overflow: Billions of Gallons of Sewage Contaminate Lake Erie” released today by Ohio PIRG reveals that more than eight billion gallons of sewage contaminated Lake Erie and waterways in the Lake Erie watershed basin from January 2004 – December 2004. “Lake Erie and lakes, rivers and streams across the state are inundated with sewage pollution. Sewage contains bacteria and viruses that can be harmful to public health, especially for young children and the elderly,” stated Amy Gomberg, Environmental Associate with Ohio PIRG. “The amount of sewage dumped into Lake Erie in 2004 was equivalent to over 2 billion toilet flushes into our Great Lake, a drinking water source for 11 million people.” Ohio PIRG’s report revealed for the first time an estimate of how much sewage was discharged into Lake Erie and waterways that feed into Lake Erie in 2004. Untreated sewage contains health threatening bacteria, viruses and parasites such as E. coli, Salmonella and Hepatitis A. Exposure to these pathogens through ingestion or contact via the eyes, ears or skin can cause a host of illnesses including but not limited to gastrointestinal illnesses, Infectious Hepatitis, damage to the liver, kidneys and spleen and even death. Children and the elderly are the most vulnerable to exposure to the bacteria and viruses present in untreated sewage. “Sewage pollution is a threat to public health and our environment. Bacteria from sewage not only poses a threat to humans, it also devastates our waterways. Nutrients from sewage are also a likely contributor to the dead zone in Lake Erie,” stated Gomberg. Ohio PIRG’s report also reveals that in 2004 the monitored beaches along the Lake Erie shoreline failed to meet criteria for primary-contact recreation, including swimming on 16% of the assessed days. Using E. Coli as the indicator for swimmable beaches, health advisories or warnings were issued for 271 days in 2004. This was an increase from the 255 beach advisory days in 2003 and the 227 beach advisory days in 2002. Ohioans deserve clean drinking water and waterways that are safe for fishing, boating and swimming,” said Mark Silverstein, Executive Director of the Cleveland Rowing Association. “It’s long over due for Ohio to eliminate sewage discharges into our waterways.” Ohio PIRG’s report analyzes eleven out of the 53 CSO communities in the Lake Erie Watershed Basin, and reveals that these eleven communities discharged over eight billion gallons of untreated sewage to Lake Erie and waterways that feed into Lake Erie, in 2004 alone. Combined sewer systems attempt to treat rainwater and sewage. During moderate to heavy rainfall the combined systems take in more wastewater than the treatment plants can handle. When this occurs sewage either gets backed up, or is diverted away from the plant directly into a local waterway. Of the eleven communities surveyed in the report, The Northeast Ohio Regional Sewer District (NEORSD), Toledo and Akron were the biggest offenders dumping over seven billion gallons of sewage into Lake Erie and waterways that feed into the lake such as the Cuyahoga and Maumee rivers (see Table 1 on page 10 of the report for the complete list of communities surveyed). Ohio PIRG’s report also reveals that the Ohio EPA is not requiring wastewater treatment facilities to consistently monitor sewage discharges, report them to the Ohio EPA or notify the public when sewage flows into a local waterway that could pose a health threat to surrounding communities and visitors. According to the Clean Water Act, the Ohio EPA should be enforcing mandatory guidelines for sewage treatment plants to monitor and report sewage discharges as well as immediately notifying the public when combined sewer overflows occur. “Billions of gallons of sewage are flowing into our waterways and visitors to Lake Erie and waterways across the state are being kept in the dark,” stated Gomberg. “We urge the Ohio EPA and our elected officials in Columbus to require consistent, real-time reporting of sewage discharges and require that the information be made public.” “Sewer pipes are underground, as are the facts regarding sewage dumping in Lake Erie,” said Dr. Jeffrey Reutter the Director of the Ohio Sea Grant College Program. “The contaminants found in untreated sewage lead to water quality degradation, beach advisories, wildlife destruction, and human health problems. Lake Erie is arguably Ohio’s most valuable natural resource. I encourage everyone to support all efforts to eliminate combined sewers and prevent raw sewage from entering Lake Erie and any of Ohio’s waterways.” Representative Oelslager (R-51) is working with Ohio PIRG to craft legislation that would give the public the right to know when sewage is dumped into their waterways. "Ohioans deserve to know if their health is at risk" said Rep. Oelslager. "I am working to make sure that Ohioans can protect their health from the threats of untreated sewage." In
addition to legislation that would require monitoring, tracking and
public notification, Ohio PIRG recommends the following solutions: Ohio PIRG is currently working in collaboration with over 50 organizations and elected officials to come up with a restoration plan for the Great Lakes that would include much needed funding for upgrading Ohio’s sewage infrastructure with the goal of eliminating sewage overflows into the Great Lakes. Elaine Marsh John Entry
|