September
23, 2000
ACTION ALERT: Tell the Clinton Administration to Get Raw Sewage Out of Our
Waters. SEND EASY INTERNET MESSAGE
BY LOGGING ONTO NRDC WEBSITE!
Sanitary
sewers are designed to carry wastes from buildings to sewage treatment plants.
When these sewers are overloaded, inadequately
maintained or obstructed, however, the overflows dump raw and
inadequately treated sewage into basements, streets, and waterways, instead of
delivering the waste to the treatment plant. Sewer overflows contain bacteria
and viruses, fecal matter, untreated industrial wastes, toilet paper, tampon
applicators, oxygen-depleting substances, and a host of other wastes. These
overflows cause beach closings, fish kills and shellfish bed closures. Pathogens
in sewage-contaminated waters can cause gastrointestinal and respiratory
illnesses, dysentery, and hepatitis. The consequences of contact with
sewage-infested waters are even greater for children, the elderly, and those
with weakened immune systems.
In
May 1999, President Clinton directed the Environmental Protection Agency to
develop, within one year, a strong national regulation to prevent the over
40,000 annual sanitary sewer overflows that contaminate beaches and jeopardize
health. The EPA met the deadline and drafted regulations that would require raw
sewage to be treated before it is discharged, but so far the Office of
Management and Budget has refused to release those regulations.
Take
Action!
Send
a message to John Spotila, administrator of the Office of Information and
Regulatory Affairs at OMB – and the person who is holding up these rules. If
you have Internet access, you can send a letter on-line by going to NRDC’s
action center at