Every day 300 million gallons of sewage dump into the Atlantic

[sparky]

In Southeast Florida, a lot of what gets flushed winds up where people fish and sometimes swim. Every day, six plants in Miami-Dade, Broward and south Palm Beach counties pump about 300 million gallons of sewage into the Atlantic Ocean.

Lawmakers: Quit flushing into Atlantic - 02/17/2008 - MiamiHerald.com

No wonder so much of the planets oceans are messed up

[addict]

The Exxon Valdez spill was only 11 million gallons and that happened once in 1989. I'm not sure what I'd rather swim in?

[Wobs]

Originally Posted by addict

The Exxon Valdez spill was only 11 million gallons and that happened once in 1989. I'm not sure what I'd rather swim in?

Please tell us that you're not involved in any kind of pollution control.

[Wobs]

While here in the UK, we could smugly say that we have sewage treatment for just about all discharges to the sea and waterways, its only fairly recently that this has been the case. We've had raw sewage pumped into the sea around the UK for years, and in places, has had a noticeable impact on the water quality. This can be seen by the improvements in water quality that has been seen since treatment has improved.

There were places where bathing water quality was extremely poor, and this was partly down to the way the sea behaved, how the currents worked, and where the wastes were taken. This, I expect to be a similar case with the Florida coast. While I don't know the exact geography of the coast, there will no doubt be places where discharges will get carried out to deep water, and places where it impacts much greater on the local beaches and wildlife.

But before we all start wailing about how awful it is that sewage is dumped into the environment, take a minute to remind yourself that improving sewage treatment will result in smaller fish being caught. I'm not saying we shouldn't improve such treatments, but a sense of perspective is important. And yes I'm sure there are areas off Florida that are sensitive to such impacts.

So when you read that 300million gallons of sewage are pumped into the sea, try to get a sense of perspective. No doubt they need improvements if all they're doing is some basic screening, but comparing it with an oil spill for example is a bit silly.

[debsgreen]

I have a friend that after high school went into the Navy, and apparently the Navy puts expiration dates on things. So if paint or other maintenance supplies aren't used in like thirty days or something stupid, they throw it in the drink. He said it was absolutely unbelievable, the stuff was still perfectly good and usable. He couldn't believe the ridiculous waste and how everything just got tossed in the ocean, and no one even blinked an eye. Cruise ships are just as bad. It's amazing to me how ignorant the general population is. They pay a gazillion dollars to go on an indulgent drinking and gambling ship, and EVERYTHING gets tossed in the ocean.

[spadlet]

Has everyone heard of the story of the surfer that was doing his stuff coming into a public beach. Everyone was staring at him so he did a few extra stunts bathing is the attention. Only after he was on ladnd did he realise he had a used sanitory towel attached to his ear.

That was the story we used to get told to stop us flushing the things down the loo anyway.

[forfi]

We got a dead baby and a motorbike in the mesh at Coventry,saved them from going down river and out to sea.Not at the same time of course

[William Djubin]

I like the part about deep well injection and sending pollution to the Gulfstream.
We should make our pollution in Florida 'Global pollution' for all to enjoy.
DEEP-WELL INJECTION
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Garcia said the state should study potential effects of closing the outfalls. Broward, for example, might have to expand its use of deep-well injection, which pumps treated sewage underground -- an approach that some environmentalists oppose as a threat to drinking-water supplies.

Garcia cited an ongoing federal study that found that only 4 percent of the sewage from the ocean pipes is carried back over shallower reefs near shore. The sewage, he said, is almost instantly diluted and carried north in Gulf Stream currents. The outfalls empty from one to three miles offshore in 90 to 100 feet of water.

But environmental groups and some scientists have produced research showing higher concentrations of ammonia, nitrogen and other pollutants than the state has estimated.

They also point to direct impacts on corals from algae blooms that have decimated some Palm Beach reefs as well as increased diseases and other maladies. Many beachgoers also have blamed the pipes for periodic closures from high levels of waste bacteria, although no study has confirmed that link.
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100% of any victory in Legislation should go to Reef Rescue of the Palm Beaches.
I just added them to our Foundations List, They are the true champions regarding Sewage.

[William Djubin]

My Avatar is me standing in a pollution stream at the Jupiter Inlet during change of tides.
I call it 'Scene of the Crime.'