What are CSOs?
A CSO is the consequence of having a combined sewer system in a urban area that uses a lot of water. Since the sewer system is combined with storm water drains and sewage from people's homes, buildings, and businesses, in the event of a storm, the sewage system that would regularly go to wastewater treatment plants for treatment would get dumped out onto the harbor because it would
overwhelm the wastewater treatment system. As little as one-twentieth or one tenth(depending on the area) of an inch of rain can overwhelm the system in NYC. Without CSOs wastewater would back up into the streets and our homes. Since NYC has such an old, outdated system and has grown a lot, the problem of CSOs is prominent here.
Why are CSOs such an issue?
CSOs pose many environmental risks, human health risks, and economic costs. Untreated sewage drops a lot of bacteria that gets into the water and can get anyone really sick who come in contact with it. Think about the beaches people bathe in! Without clean water, many marine animals cannot survive in water as well as surrounding plant life.
New York harbor was once a home of fishes and the famous oysters. However, many certain areas of New York harbor are terribly polluted and cannot support life anymore. A bad environment is not a happy one! Additionally, with all these polluted harbors and waters it makes it so that we cannot enjoy recreation and activities that we were able to back in the day when the water was clean like fishing and canoeing. If we can make these waters swimmable and fishable again, not only will it improve the quality of life of New Yorkers, but it will attract more tourists which adds to a healthy economy. Let’s improve the lives of New Yorkers and save our harbor!
