Even though the regulations behind wastewater treatment plants are fairly stringent, there are still pollution issues that can arise. In the case of Manchester, New Hampshire, the wastewater treatment plant is designed to handle about 34 million gallons of wastewater a day (City of Manchester, 2015). Although this is quite an impressive amount of water that can be processed, heavy rain induced flooding can easily cause overflow of the system, causing raw sewage to make its way to the Merrimack River (Barrick, 2010). This is referred to as a sanitary sewer overflow (SSO), which commonly occurs in many of the cities that are alongside the Merrimack River and throughout the United States. A 2013 investigation by the New England Center for Investigative…show more content… The cost to update a wastewater treatment is substantial, and still cannot guarantee that overflow will cease. For example, the Greater Lowell Sanitary District recently poured $17 million in upgrades that were completed in 2007. These upgrades were estimated to cut overflow from 114 million to 45 million gallons a year (Eddings, 2013). While this is an improvement, it is also a substantial investment to simply reduce, rather than eliminate, the amount of raw sewage that is ending up in the Merrimack. This ongoing problem can cause E. coli to multiply in the river, making it unsuitable for swimming or fishing. More importantly, it can cause illnesses to humans and can affect local…show more content… According to the EPA,
The CWA specifies that all discharges into the nation’s waters are unlawful unless authorized by a permit and sets baseline, across-the-board technology-based controls for municipalities and industry. It requires all dischargers to meet additional, stricter pollutant controls where needed to meet water quality targets and requires federal approval of these standards. It also protects wetlands by requiring “dredge and fill” permits” (EPA, 2015).
One regulation that came alongside this act was the requirement for pretreatment by industries in order to protect local sanitary sewers and waste water treatment plants. Additionally, the EPA has set guidelines that outline the permissible levels of toxins that can be detected in a public water source. In order to enforce these regulations, the EPA works with federal, state, and tribal regulatory partners to assure that regulations are adhered to (EPA, 2015). As mentioned earlier, many cities such as Manchester, New Hampshire, used to dump raw sewage directly into water sources. The Clean Water Act has help to set clear standards, which have drastically improved water conditions along the Merrimack River and throughout the United States, making water safer while also protecting human health and the
