Lake Erie Basin Update - U.S. Side
Billions of Gallons of Sewage in Lake Erie: Ohio Trails
the Great Lakes States in Public Notification 601
By Amy Gomberg, Ohio Public Interest Research Group and Ohio PIRG Education Fund
Ohioans deserve clean water that is safe
for fishing, boating and swimming.
Unfortunately, billions of gallons of
untreated sewage are being dumped into
Ohio’s waterways, including Lake Erie,
every year.
And the worst part is, Ohioans are being kept in the dark. While
states like Indiana and Michigan have engaged in statewide efforts
to educate the public about sewage contamination, Ohio has not.
More than 2 Billion Toilets Flush into Lake Erie
With the support of the George Gund Foundation, the Cleveland
Foundation, and the Healing Our Waters Coalition, Ohio PIRG
researched the extent of the sewage dumping problem in Ohio’s Lake
Erie Watershed Basin. The report “Sewage Overflow: Billions of
gallons of Sewage contaminate Lake Erie” reveals that during 2004,
Lake Erie and its tributaries were flooded with more than 8.9 billion
gallons of untreated sewage.
“This is equivalent to more than 2 billion toilets flushing into Lake
Erie’s waterways,” stated Erin Bowser, the Ohio Public Interest
Research Group’s State Director. “And there are many more billions of
gallons of inadequately treated sewage being dumped into our
waterways in Columbus, Cincinnati, and throughout the state.”
Untreated sewage contains disease-causing pathogens including E.
coli, Hepatitis A, and Giardia. Sewage overflows are a major source of
beach advisories, wildlife destruction, and human health problems,
and are a likely contributor to Lake Erie’s dead zones.
In a recent study done by the United States Geological Survey many
pathogens, including Hepatitis A, were discovered in the Cuyahoga
River. The study traced many of the viruses and bacteria to
discharges from the Akron, Ohio wastewater treatment utility. These
pathogens can cause dangerous gastrointestinal diseases, and in
some cases can even lead to death. Anyone who comes into contact
with water that is contaminated with sewage is putting their health
at risk. The Ohio Department of Health advises that anyone who
swims in Lake Erie should wait at least 24 hours after a heavy rainfall
before swimming, keep their head and face out of the water, not
swallow the water, and shower after swimming.
Ohioans Deserve the Right to Know
The Clean Water Act calls on states to develop a notification system
to alert the public when untreated sewage enters our waterways.
Unfortunately, Ohio does not require sewage treatment facilities to
report to the Ohio Environmental Protection Agency or to the public
when they are dumping sewage into the waterways.
“Compared to the other Great Lakes states, Ohio comes in dead last”
comments Bowser on sewage dumping public notification systems.
“Sewage dumping is an underground problem in Ohio, and we are in
desperate need of a statewide system to keep track of the problem
and warn the public when their health is at risk.”
Representative Oelslager of Canton and Ohio PIRG have worked
together to build momentum in the Ohio legislature to protect the
health of Ohioan’s from sewage pollution. Using legislation from
Michigan and Indiana, and with the input from other statewide and
national organizations including Friends of the Crooked River, the
Sierra Club, American Rivers, National Resources Defense Council,
PIRG in Michigan, and Ohio PIRG developed legislation that will:
- Protect the health of Ohioans from sewage pollution,
- Notify the public, the Department of Health, the Ohio Environmental Protection Agency, and the media, when untreated sewage is dumped into our waterways, and
- Require the Ohio Environmental Protection Agency to record and track when utilities are dumping untreated sewage into our waterways.
Ohioans deserve clean water, and the right to know when our
waterways have been polluted with untreated sewage. Ohio should
follow the lead of states like Indiana and Michigan and pass sewage
pollution public notification legislation.
For more information:
Amy Gomberg, Environmental Associate
Ohio Public Interest Research Group and Ohio PIRG Education Fund
36 W. Gay St. Suite 315, Columbus, OH 43215
PH: (614) 460-8732
E-mail: agomberg@ohiopirg.org • Website:www.ohiopirg.org
Disclaimer:
The interpretations and conclusions presented in this newsletter represent the opinions of the individual authors. They in no way represent the views of the Tip of the Mitt Watershed Council, the C.S. Mott Foundation, subscribers, donors, or any organization mentioned in this publication.
|
