Community right-to-know sewage bill introduced

Posted on May 24, 2007 | Filed Under Clean Water, Healthy Waters, Sewage 

baerKatherine Baer, Director
Healthy Waters Campaign

gushing outfall large I take my dogs to a swimming beach on the South River where it empties into the Chesapeake Bay - and fortunately, Anne Arundel County (PDF) has a great sewage spill notification program so I know when to keep the pooches out to avoid health problems. While some states work to keep their citizens (and their furry friends) safe by requiring public notification, much of the country is left in the dark about when it might not be such a good idea to take a dip.

Surprisingly, perhaps, this is not a minor issue - EPA estimates that 860 billion gallons of sewage are released into America’s waters every year. Over 30 years since the Clean Water Act was passed with the goal (PDF) of eliminating the discharge of pollutants to our waters, there are regular sewage overflows and spills seemingly every day. And these are the ones that we know about. There are many more that are unreported to the public because there is no federal requirement for sewage treatment operators to notify us when there is sewage in our streams and rivers.

Act for Healthy Rivers We’re alerted for other health risks - like food safety and poor air quality - so why not for sewage? Given the health risks (PDF) from contact with un- or partially treated sewage, it seems like a pretty basic concept that we should know when sewage has made its way into waters where we swim, fish and play.

Good thing then that Representatives Tim Bishop (D-NY) and Frank LoBiondo (R-NJ) have introduced a bill that will ensure that we will know when sewage pollutes our waters so that we can protect ourselves and our families. Read the press release.

The Raw Sewage Overflow Community Right-to-Know Act of 2007 establishes strict requirements for sewer operators to notify the public, public health officials, and downstream drinking water intakes when sewage is present in the waters where we paddle, swim, fish and boat.

The old saying “prevention is the best medicine” is apt here - and there’s no way to prevent sewage related sicknesses unless you know what’s in your water.

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Comments

8 Responses to “Community right-to-know sewage bill introduced”

  1. Legislative Water Week Pleasantly Finds an Eddy After a Great Ride : American Rivers Blog on May 25th, 2007 5:13 pm

    [...] with the introduction of the Clean Water Restoration Act on Tuesday, then the introduction of the Raw Sewage Community Right to Know Bill, and lastly the House mark up of the Fiscal Year 2008 Interior, Environment, and Related Agencies [...]

  2. The Staten Island Bluebelt: natural stormwater management and flood control : American Rivers Blog on May 29th, 2007 6:38 pm

    [...] Katherine’s post on Representative Bishop’s Sewage Right-to-Know bill, which was introduced last week, I was [...]

  3. When you gotta know, you gotta know : American Rivers Blog on June 5th, 2007 10:22 am

    [...] importance of passing sewage spill right-to-know legislation in addition to the ones mentioned in previous posts. On Saturday, hundreds of thousands of gallons of sewage spilled into Tampa Bay and yet local [...]

  4. Dead zones…part III : American Rivers Blog on July 17th, 2007 4:47 pm

    [...] for groups around the country fighting sewage pollution. The first goal is to make sure the public is notified when sewage spills into local waterways (you can help!) It won’t fix the problem, but [...]

  5. To Swim Or Not To Swim : American Rivers Blog on July 17th, 2007 5:39 pm

    [...] for people who swim, boat and play in the water to know when it’s safe to take a dip. Passing right to know legislation is key to solving this problem by requiring sewer treatment plants to notify the public when there [...]

  6. Celebrate Clean Water: A Kayaker’s Perspective : American Rivers Blog on October 18th, 2007 4:01 pm

    [...] still remain. In a recent survey of our membership, approximately 70% of respondents reported health effects from paddling polluted rivers. Sinus and ear infections continue to be ongoing health issues for [...]

  7. Speaking Up for Sewage Right to Know : American Rivers Blog on October 24th, 2007 6:00 pm

    [...] week, I had the opportunity to testify on the Sewage Right to Know Bill (H.R. 2452) at a hearing in the House of Representatives. Talk about nervous… I remember my [...]

  8. Anacostia River and Youth Voices : American Rivers Blog on November 15th, 2007 12:30 pm

    [...] a good first step to fixing the problem is alerting people when there are sewage overflows so they (and their pets) can atleast avoid the places where there are overflows so that they don’t get [...]

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