Rainfall exceeded design

©  2009  Rose George

Two new things in the world of US sewers. California’s State Water Resources Control Board has set up an online mapping facility that allows citizens to check on every instance of sewage overflow in the state. On 16 March at 1pm, for example, 51,000 gallons of sewage were discharged at Orange Avenue. The full incident report gives the cause of the spill, in beautifully pithy language, as “Rainfall exceeded design.” This of course could apply to the country’s entire sewer system, which is why a new bill authored by Senators Lautenberg and Voinovich is welcome. The Water Quality Investment Act finances a $1.8 billion, five year programme of federal grants to update “antiquated sewer systems.” “We have a ticking time bomb ready to blow up if we don’t act now,” said Senator Lautenberg, in a rare moment of legislative candour about the state of sewers.