How do sewage treatment plants threaten estuaries?
— Jean T. Castagno, Old Saybrook, Conn. Estuaries are partially enclosed bodies of water where freshwater and saltwater mix. They are key coastal habitats for many a species of mammal, fish and bird — and are used as spawning grounds for much of our nation’s commercial fish and shellfish. The wetlands associated with estuaries buffer uplands from flooding. Estuaries also provide many recreational opportunities, such as swimming, boating and bird watching. Chesapeake Bay, San Francisco Bay, Boston Harbor, Tampa Bay and Puget Sound are all examples of U.S. estuaries, but one that is particularly plagued by sewer plant drainage is the Northeast’s Long Island Sound. Norwalk, Connecticut-based Save the Sound reports that 10 percent of the U.S. population lives within 50 miles of Long Island Sound. That’s a lot of people and a lot of sewage. According to the Natural Resources Defense Council (NRDC), “Sewage treatment plants discharge more than one billion gallons of treated effluent into t
