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Green Technologies Clean Up Syracuse’s Dirty Waterways
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County Executive Jonie Mahoney discusses green infrastructure in Onondaga County, New York. Syracuse was the first community in the United States subject to a legal requirement to reduce sewage overflows with green infrastructure (GI). GI investments totaling nearly $80 million will account for nearly two-thirds of future combined sewage overflow reductions, funded by a combination of sewer fees and low-interest loans and grants from the state.
To learn more about ways communities across the country are using green infrastructure to manage stormwater, go to NRDC’s Rooftops to Rivers page.
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On January 13th, 2012 at 5:09 pm Peter Maier Said:
Dirty waterways will only be cleaned up if sewage is properly treated. When Congress passed the Clean Water Act in 1972, with its final goal to eliminate all water pollution by 1985, Senator Muskie said on the senate floor: “This Act simple means that we can not use our rivers to clean our sewage any longer”. T
Sadly when EPA implemented its NPDES (National Pollution Discharge Elimination System) discharge permit program, setting treatment standards, it used an essential test incorrectly and ignored not only 60% of the pollution in sewage Congress intended to treat, but all the nitrogenous (urine and protein) pollution, while this waste, besides exerting an oxygen demand (like fecal waste) also is a fertilizer for algae, thus contributing to dead zones and red tides. (www.petermaier.net)
Regulations are written in order to implement laws legislatures have passed and therefore obvious should achieve the intent of such laws. EPA’s regulations clearly, by ignoring so much waste in sewage, clearly are not based upon the intent of the CWA and also can never achieve any of the goals of the Act.
As this is obvious the case and EPA refuses to make any modifications to its regulations, why than aren’t there members of Congress holding the EPA accountable for never even having implemented the CWA, as so clearly intended and explained by Senator Muskie?
On January 13th, 2012 at 6:23 pm Charlie Rybak Said:
Peter,
Very interesting information. What are the policy steps that we can make now to correct these problems? If we’ve gone to far to correct them, what’s the best course of action that we can take moving forward?
On January 13th, 2012 at 9:24 pm Peter Maier Said:
Under the CWA EPA was supposed to establish best available sewage treatment criteria, to be used in its implementation program, but never did and never establish treatment standards for it now calls ‘nutrients’. Sadly EPA already in 1978 officially (one of their reports) acknowledged that not only much better treatment was available, including nitrogenous waste, but that such facilities would be less expensive to build and operate.
Admitting that the CWA failed due to a faulty test (actually lack of understanding) would be too much to ask for all those directly and even indirectly involved in sewage treatment. The only way something will change would be if the media gets interested and informs the public that present EPA regulations violate the intent of the CWA. May be then members of Congress will hold EPA accountable.
Sadly it doesn’t appear the media is willing to spent the time to learn more. It being an technical matter may be one reason.