As one who grew up in a family that constructed municipal water and sewer and stormwater works
You are correct
There is no filtration of that which runs down streets and into gutters
It goes to rivers and oceans in rain
And often intermingles with sewerage since rainwater infiltrates sanitary sewer during downpours causing it to overflow into storm water systems
Like when folks see a manhole lid bubbling over...
That’s toilet and dishwater mixed with rainwater running over
Plus sewer treatment plants can’t handle max flow in sanitary trunk lines and have to divert most to river or bay
It’s just how it is
In a typical costly example of hypocrisy municipalities today often require business owner parking lots to have detention ponds and weirs with traps and settling tanks for runoff
But not at govt parking lots or govt or public pavement
Like they do everything ...
Force us to yet they don’t comply
What is the saying..the quickest way to overturn a bad law is to strictly enforce it, or something to that effect....
I think we should add to your good post that in the older cities, there are still regions and areas that have old brick combination sewers. These sewers carry the waste water sanitary sewer flow in their bottom trough to the sewage treatment plants. They also were given the storm run off from street storm sewer inlets.
The concept was that when there was no significant rain, the treatment plant was sized to treat the sewage in the “sanitary” sewer flow. When a big rain happened, the storm water ran at a temporary ten to one ratio (or similar) and combined sewer water would be diluted enough to bypass the treatment plant and go directly to the local river or ocean.
While much of these early systems have been replaced, central cities are where you still find some in existence.
“There is no filtration of that which runs down streets and into gutters”
The manholes, pardon me, “human access holes” around here are all clearly marked “Dump No Waste. Drains To Streams”
They have pics of cute little fishies stamped on them even.
L
TOO MANY PEOPLE!
And too many people in CONCENTRATED BIG CITY!
Here in the Puget Sound, we have several eco-activist group that routinely sue anyone they can when they suspect a violation of the NPDES storm water permits. Every city and county in the state except...Seattle and King County!
The Puget Sound Keepers are currently suing the City of Anacortes for not enforcing development regulations and are asking for $35,000 day fines for the last 5 years!