December 9, 2004
Environmental Advocates of New York
Scenic Hudson

EPA to Reverse Sewage Standard, Allow Massive Dumping Policy Rollback Raises Threat of Waterborne Illness, Disease for Millions

Albany, NY - Millions of Americans will face an increased threat of bacteria, viruses and parasites in their water thanks to a new federal policy allowing sewer operators to dump inadequately treated sewage into the nation's waterways. The Environmental Protection Agency's new plan, which reverses a current rule requiring sewer operators to fully treat their waste in all but the most extreme circumstances, will allow operators to routinely dump sewage anytime it rains. EPA is expected to issue the policy sometime in the next few weeks.

Scenic Hudson and Environmental Advocates of NY, two groups that have worked closely on state water quality issues in the past, today called on the New York Congressional Delegation to stop EPA from implementing this official guidance, which would be particularly harmful for New York drinking water supplies.

"This new policy will expose millions of New Yorkers to disease-causing parasites, viruses and bacteria in our drinking water and in waterways where we fish and swim," said David Higby of Environmental Advocates. "More Americans - especially the elderly, very young infants, and those with weakened immune systems - will get sick, and more of them will die."

The groups called on New York's Congressional representatives, especially James Walsh of Syracuse and Sue Kelly of the Hudson Valley, to intervene. Both representatives have considerable surface drinking water sources in their districts, and both sit on the congressional committee that oversees the EPA.

For the last 50 years standard sewage treatment has involved a two-step process: solids removal, and biological treatment to kill bacteria, viruses and parasites. The new policy allows facilities to routinely bypass the second step and "blend" partially treated sewage with fully treated wastewater before discharging it into waterways. (Some treatment facilities include a third step in which they use chlorine to disinfect sewage, but disinfection does not kill viruses and many other pathogens.)

"As Hudson River Valley sewage treatment plants age, efforts must be made to upgrade these facilities to protect public health and the environment," said Scenic Hudson's environmental project manager, Rich Schiafo. "Allowing untreated waste to be discharged is a big step backwards for clean, swimmable and fishable waters in the Hudson River."

Currently sewer operators are allowed to blend partially treated sewage only in extreme cases, such as hurricanes and tropical storms, and when there is no feasible alternative, such as adding more capacity to handle sewage or storing it until it can be fully treated. The new policy will allow plants to dump partially treated sewage anytime it rains or snows.

Untreated sewage contains a variety of dangerous pathogens, including bacteria (such as E coli), viruses (such as hepatitis A), protozoa (such as Cryptosporidium and Giardia) and helminth worms. The pathogens in sewage can cause illnesses ranging from diarrhea and vomiting and respiratory infections to hepatitis and dysentery. Even with the current, stronger sewage treatment standard, experts estimate that there are 7.1 million mild-to-moderate cases and 560,000 moderate-to-severe cases of infectious waterborne disease in the United States annually.

A November 2003 study by Michigan State University biologist Joan B. Rose, concluded that the EPA's new policy would pose a significant threat to public health. For example, Dr. Rose, an expert in water pollution microbiology and waterborne diseases, determined that "[t]he risks associated with swimming in waters receiving the blended flows were … 100 times greater than if the wastewater were fully treated."

The Bush administration's fiscal year 2005 budget called for cutting $492 million from the Clean Water Act State Revolving Fund (SRF), which loans money to states to help pay for sewage treatment. Congress ultimately cut $250 million from the fund. Environmental Advocates' Higby said substantially more funding is needed to adequately protect the public. "The federal government should require treatment plants to upgrade their aging sewer systems and help them out with more funding," he said. "Instead, it cut funding and now will allow these facilities to discharge viruses and bacteria directly into our water. To make matters worse, much of the SRF funding is being channeled to incentives for urban sprawl instead of to the areas of greatest need. It's imperative that we head off this untoward 'blending' loophole."

A Mid Hudson Pattern for Progress study revealed a SRF funding gap of $903.2 million for low-interest loans to pay for wastewater projects in six Hudson Valley counties in 2004. According to the study, only 12 percent of funding requests, whose total exceeds $1 billion, were granted in 2004.

According to a recent analysis by the Natural Resources Defense Council, in 2005 there will be an 18 percent decrease in funding to New York, almost $27 million, from the SRF compared to the previous year.

Besides the obvious threat to public health, allowing inadequately treated sewage in our nation's waters will have dire long-term environmental and economic consequences, Scenic Hudson and Environmental Advocates said. More sewage in our waterways will close beaches along the Hudson River, in New York's Great Lakes Basin area and throughout the state. This would in turn kill fish and destroy shellfish beds, resulting in irreparable damage to the fishing and tourism industries. Sewage is the second largest known cause of U.S. beach closures and advisories every year.