![[logo] US EPA](http://www.epa.gov/epafiles/images/logo_epaseal.gif){kind=logo}
Compliance and Enforcement Annual Results:
FY2007 Important Environmental Problems/National Priorities
Priority: Municipal Sewer Overflows (Combined Sewer & Sanitary Sewer Overflows)
FY2007 Annual Results Topics
Annual Results for
National Enforcement Priorities
On this page:
Problem:
Photo of a sewer overflow
Combined sewer overflows and sanitary sewer overflows (CSOs & SSOs) cause environmental problems when heavy rainfall exceeds the storage capacity of pipes and/or water treatment plants, discharging untreated sewage, stormwater, toxic materials, and industrial wastewater into rivers, lakes, and oceans. Overflows also occur when equipment, system design, operation, and maintenance are faulty. Untreated sewage contains high levels of nutrients which cause low oxygen levels resulting in aquatic environments and fish mortality. Bacteria residing in untreated sewage overflows can contaminate the public drinking water supply, endanger human health for individuals participating in recreational activities such as swimming and boating, and limit access to beaches. Fish and wildlife advisories often result from bacterial contamination of seafood. CSOs and SSOs pose particularly significant risks to human health when this activity occurs near sources of drinking water given that the discharge often contains a high concentration of bacteria and pathogens. Bacteria and pathogens in sewage have human health implications ranging in severity from mild gastroenteritis to life-threatening ailments, such as cholera and infectious hepatitis.
EPA focuses compliance enforcement and assistance on combined and sanitary sewer systems that are near public drinking water intakes; endangered and threatened species and habitats; national marine sanctuaries; commercial fishing sites and shellfish beds; waters designated as “outstanding national resource waters;” and where waterborne recreational activities such as swimming and boating occur. Areas with prior water quality impairment also receive prioritized attention.
Key Results:
| Fiscal Year | Pollutants Reduced (lbs) |
Investments in Pollution Control ($) |
Civil Penalties ($) |
|---|---|---|---|
| FY 2006 | 26,000,000 | $930,000,000 | $1,800,000 |
| FY 2007 | 45,000,000 | $5,383,000,000 | $1,180,000 |
| FY 2006-2007 | 71,000,000 | $6,313,000,000 | $2,980,000 |
*FY 2005 Annual Results Data Not Available
Highlights:
- In FY 2006 - FY 2007, EPA reduced, treated, or eliminated an estimated 71 million pounds of pollutants from combined and sanitary sewer overflows.
- In addition to compliance assistance provided in FY 2007, EPA and states take enforcement actions against water treatment plants that violate water quality standards under the Clean Water Act.
- The most significant FY 2007 combined and sanitary sewer overflow court cases are the City of Indianapolis, Indiana; Greater Lawrence Sanitary District; and the Sanitation District #1 of Northern Kentucky cases that cumulatively resulted in an estimated overall reduction of 9 billion gallons of combined sewer overflow pollutants in the White River and its tributaries in Indiana; the Merrimack and Spicket Rivers in Massachusetts; and the Ohio River in Kentucky.
Annual Results by Fiscal Year:
FY2010 | FY2009 | FY2008 | FY2007 | FY2006 | FY2005 | FY2004 | FY2003 | FY2002 | FY2001 | FY2000 | FY1999