Concerns Over Combined Sewage Overflow in New York City

These tasks go hand and hand with the City Public Works Drainage Division which administrates permits, and is responsible for the implementation and the execution of stormwater best management practices through the use of various resources such as personnel, and medium and heavy equipment. Public Works maintains more than 350 miles of storm sewer drainage system within the City and approximately 150 miles of drainage ditches and thousands of storm water inlets. Public Works crews work continually throughout the year removing trash and debris, mowing drainage ditches, vacuuming stormwater inlets, as well as other tasks to maintain a healthy drainage infrastructure. Unfortunately, the City is faced with the challenges of sustaining its extensive MS4 program and existing drainage infrastructure due to the lack of additional financial resources. Certain sections of the City’s drainage system are more than 50 years old and deteriorating. As the City continues to grow and expand, the need for repairs, retrofitting and maintaining the City’s existing infrastructure is as equally important as creating new capital projects.

As populations and global warming increases, Long Island New York 's aquifers which are layers of water underground that can be extracted throw the use of water wells, have become more extremely demanding for many New Yorkers alike. Long Islands water 's over the years have drastically increased in high level risks of water contamination, high levels of nitrogen and toxic pollutants since the early 1940 's, 60s, late 80 's mid 1990 's which finally leading up to now has become an ongoing issue that is extremely important and needs effective solutions to the resolving of the high risks of Long Islands Polluted Waters. All of the ground water in Long Island that flows through sidewalks, roadways, storm drains, soil, fertilizers and sewage

This paper will inform the reader why the Delaware River was polluted and how it is being solved. The Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) is trying to clean up all rivers and lakes to make sure that every waterway in America is healthy and not harmful to humans or animals. With the coordination of the EPA, and the Delaware County Regional Water Quality Control Authority (DELCORA) are trying to fix the problems that have occurred over years that humans have been around the Delaware River. The use of a Combined Sewer Overflow Program also known as a CSO is very important for the protection of drinking water in major cities including New York City and Philadelphia. The toxic chemical levels are at an all-time high making this one of the dirtiest rivers in North America. This paper will talk about what results were received from the multiple tests that were taken from multiple sites along the Delaware River and its tributaries. Also, what solutions are being used to solve the problem that is at hand to make sure the public has knowledge of the toxic levels in the water and to make sure that everyone including the animals nearby have clean and safe drinking water?

There is speculation that climate change may have also have contributed to the storms intensity. Global warming may have made Sandy wetter and stronger. Hurricanes and tropical storms are fueled by warm water evaporating into the air. Records indicate that ocean surface temperatures are up 0.9 degrees

Storm water is a great danger to the environment because it does not receive any treatment before entering waterways. A storm can overload the system, causing it to reach its max capacity. The water treatment plant is then forced to let the overflowing, untreated, water dump into the river. This leads to an almost opaque water, like that found in the Puget Sound. There is an average of 900 billion gallons of untreated sewage water entering larger bodies of water each year in the United States (Barnett). The rain that falls on surfaces drains into bodies of water through storm water collection systems, usually, without treatment. There is a strong relationship between concrete thickness and imperviousness in residential areas, leading researchers to believe that roads create impervious surfaces. When rain down the streets and rooftops, it absorbs all the harmful materials from those surfaces and flows into the major bays and the Puget Sound. The Environmental Protection Agency estimates the remodeling of the aging water system would cost between $300 billion to $1 trillion over the next 20 years (Barnett).

To address this issue, the U.S Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) and NYS DEC have recently increased their attention to stormwater management. Explicitly requiring permits for municipalities in New York State that are located near urbanized areas, and have their storm sewer system separate from their sanitary sewer systems. Unlike municipalities with combined sewer systems, an MS4 discharges untreated stormwater directly into the nearest body of water. This type of system can be detrimental for numerous reasons and has ultimately resulted in the EPA’s creation of a federal regulation known as the Stormwater Phase II. It was published in the Federal Register on December 8, 1999 and has since effected every MS4 community in New York State (US EPA, 2005).

Storm water run-off helps the ocean grow bigger,it also kills the fish and animals that lives in that ocean,It helps the grass grow, but takes all the bad stuff on it and carries it to the ocean. We need a filter in the drains so that it filters the water so that there is no trash or oil and then the ocean won 't be so polluted,and the sea life will survive. Storm water catches numerous pollutants into our waterways.

In this research paper I will be talking about the Connecticut River, the common sewer overflow and sewer discharge that goes into the river, I will be focusing on the pollutants that are in the CT river, I will also focus on the high density towns and the affect it has on them, then I will talk about the ecological impacts and economical aspects. The Connecticut River is the longest river in the New England region, it spans through five states Maine (Small portions), Vermont, New Hampshire, Massachusetts and Connecticut, discharging into the Long island sound. The river serves more than two million people throughout New England. The main issue with the river is the untreated storm water and sewer waste that is being discharged into it which causes many harmful effects not only to the many different species that call the CT River its home, but to the people that live around the CT River. Combined sewer overflows (CSOs), the discharging of combined sewer systems directly into surface waters upon capacity overload, are a large source of pollution of U.S. waterways. A report from the Environment and Connecticut Research and policy center has said that industrial facilities have discharged 224,029 pounds of toxic waste into the Connecticut waterways in the year of 2012. There are many government agencies such as the EPA and committees like the Connecticut River Cleanup Committee that are raising funds and awareness in order to help clean up the Connecticut River

Hurricane Sandy was one of the most catastrophic hurricanes of 2012. I do think that climate change made the hurricane more intense because of the increase in water vapor due to warm temperature. Warmer atmosphere and oceans increased the effects of hurricane Sandy, because of the high level of sea. It changes the frequency and strength of the hurricane.

People all around the world are beginning to recognize the importance of sustainability and how it is the key to future generations. Because the human ecological footprint is reaching the point of limitation, it is necessary that we adapt and develop more efficient, sustainable communities. Due to improper waste treatment and disposal practices, many cities today face the problem of relying on heavily contaminated and polluted sources of water. This problem often arises when pollutants and particulates find their ways into lakes, underground reservoirs, and other accessible water sources. The city of Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania is just one example of how this problem is evolving and may do well to serve as a model for future water management plans. This essay will go over several causes of Pittsburgh’s current state of affair, but most importantly provide Pittsburgh with a guideline to conquer its water issue. The following solution is a four-step process which incorporates a combination of restructuring and reorganizing Pittsburgh’s wastes management. It is designed to address poor water quality but providing gradual steps and alterations to Pittsburgh’s current system of treatment and planning. In the end, this remedy will point the city towards healthier water supplies and overall sustainability.

Since 1900, according to James Gerken, New York City’s average annual temperatures, measured from Central Park, have increased by over 3 degrees Fahrenheit, and the sea levels surrounding the city have risen by over a foot. Resultantly, more extreme precipitation events are expected to occur in the future, such as hurricanes and flooding. The mayor of the city, Bill de Blaiso, announced a sweeping plan to cut greenhouse gas emissions by 80% by 2050, allegedly making neighborhoods safer from disaster. Unfortunately, projections based on current trends suggest that the sea level could rise by an additional 6 feet by 2100 (Gerken, 2015). Thus, nearly 20% of New York’s 469-square-mile land area could have a 1% chance of flooding in any given year.

Scientists are not sure that climate change directly affects the extremity of weather, but it is clear it helps the impacts. Andrew Freedman is a senior science writer for Climate Central, an independent research organization. He studies climate change. Hurricane Sandy clashed with the east coast in 2012. Three factors that could have effected it: sea level rise, non regular warm sea surface temperatures, and unusual weather pattern. Natural causes still predominately are main forces for situations like these. Global warming has increased the severity. Hurricane Sandy starts questions about Climate change impacting storms and weather patterns, and how vulnerable the east coast is. This is credible because it was written by an independent research

After washing your hands there is not much thought to what happens to the dirty water. It goes down the drain and it is gone. Living in Canada is extremely fortunate as it has the most fresh water supply but with the increase of urban settings, toxins, and pollution, this “endless” fresh water supply is declining. A major issue is how to treat waste safely so that it does not affect the environment, or public health. The waterfront water treatment facility has run into constant bypassing issues which prevents water to be properly treated. Bypass water is excess flow discharge from water treatment plants when it reaches capacity. Untreated polluted water is dumped into the waterfront of Toronto which is progressively getting worse due to

greenhouse gas is changing the weather by causing tragic droughts and flooding. Droughts caused by climate change are becoming more frequent and more intense than ever. Flooding is happening more and more every day do to greenhouse gas changing the precipitation. The greenhouse gas emissions need to change or more people and animals are going to suffer every day.

As the storm subsides and the sun peeks through the clouds, murky water flows through the once beautiful scene of the San Marcos River, destroying property, displacing families, and disrupting businesses. Recent flooding in San Marcos has had a profound effect on the city and its surrounding area. The City of San Marcos must consider a more sustainable approach to development in order to prevent future flooding.