How does sewage enter the beach water?
Sewage enters the waterway from combined sewer overflows, sanitary sewer overflows, and malfunctioning wastewater treatment plants. Untreated storm water run-off from cities and rural areas can be another significant source of beach water pollution. In some areas, human waste from boats and malfunctioning septic systems can also contribute to beach water pollution. Combined sewer systems are designed to carry both raw sewage and storm water runoff to wastewater treatment plants. During heavy rainstorms, these systems can become hydraulically overloaded and discharge a mixture of raw sewage and polluted run-off from streets into local waterways. The discharge pollutes water around the outfalls and at downstream beaches.
