Eco-Friendly Sewage & Stormwater Systems

Everyone gets excited about dolphins. But sewers? They’ve never been glamorous. And they’ve certainly never filled the pages of calendars or motivated hordes of volunteers. Yet sewer systems have a significant impact on waterways, oceans, human health, and our ecosystem. At the World Oceans Day Science & Social event hosted by Suncoast Sierra Club on June 8, panelists discussed Piney Point, red tide, sewage systems, the connections between these issues, and what citizens can do to make a difference.

Laura Crabtree, head of the Sustainability Action Team, participated in the event to represent the League of Women Voters and bring information back to members. Laura listened with interest as Megan Ross, Director of Pinellas County Utilities discussed the sewage lines, called private laterals, that go from each home to the city’s sewer lines. Many of these private laterals leak. Each leak may be small, not enough for a homeowner to pay to replace it, but together the leaks add up and contribute to excess Nitrogen in the waterways. (If the city notices a problem, they do have the authority to require homeowners to repair damaged lines.) For private citizens who are homeowners and want to help the environment, inspecting and replacing damaged private laterals is a meaningful action. It can be tricky, though, to excite people about private laterals and make clear the connection between sewage pipes and the animals we want to protect, the Tampa Bay Estuary, and our drinking water. Fortunately, though, Laura points out that authorities at both the city and county level are “on board with improving sewage and stormwater systems since we all share the environment.”

As Laura emphasizes, the League of Women Voters serves as a bridge between citizens and politicians and policies. Though many of us start daydreaming when political candidates talk city infrastructure, Laura wants to help everyone understand the significant relationship between infrastructure and environmental issues. We can listen and ask informed questions when candidates discuss things like sewage, infrastructure, and pipes. For anyone concerned about oceans, waterways, and the environment, city infrastructure policy decisions should be an important part of how we decide to vote. Laura and the Sustainability Action Team have been working on a list of questions to ask political candidates in the upcoming elections. Now, if we can just make sewers as captivating as dolphins…