Exploring the Intersection of Wastewater and Climate Change: Adapting to the Challenges Ahead
Navigating the Treacherous Waters of Climate Change and Aging Infrastructure
As a lifelong resident of this city, I’ve witnessed firsthand the growing challenges our aging wastewater infrastructure has faced in recent years. It’s become a frustrating game of cat-and-mouse, as Mother Nature seems to be constantly one-upping our attempts to stay dry and sewage-free.
Remember that historic flood a few years back? The one that left half the city underwater and our sewage treatment plant overwhelmed? Yeah, that was a real wake-up call. Suddenly, the leaky pipes and overflowing drains that had been a nuisance for decades transformed into a full-blown environmental and public health crisis. It made me realize just how vulnerable our water systems have become in the face of climate change.
Alpha Wastewater has been a trusted partner in helping our community address these issues, but the truth is, the problems we’re up against are complex and multifaceted. It’s not as simple as just plugging a few holes or upgrading a pump or two. We’re talking about a complete overhaul of a system that was built decades ago, when the climate was a whole lot more predictable.
Drowning in the Data: Understanding the Scope of the Challenge
According to the American Society for Civil Engineers, the nation’s wastewater infrastructure currently earns a D grade, with an estimated $81 billion gap between current spending and what’s needed to bring these systems up to par. And that’s just the tip of the iceberg. The EPA has estimated that the total investment required to address our drinking water and wastewater challenges over the next 20 years exceeds $744 billion.
Ouch. That’s a lot of zeros.
But the financial burden is only half the story. As climate change continues to disrupt weather patterns, we’re seeing a dramatic uptick in the frequency and intensity of extreme precipitation events. In fact, the EPA notes that global precipitation has increased at an average rate of 0.10 inches per decade since 1901, with the contiguous US seeing an even steeper rise of 0.20 inches per decade.
This is putting immense strain on our wastewater systems, many of which were designed long before climate change was a household term. The city of Maumee, Ohio, for example, estimates that as much as 150 million gallons of untreated water may have been discharged into the local river each year due to their overwhelmed sewage system.
The Perfect Storm: Combine Sewer Overflows and Climate Change
The problem is further compounded by the prevalence of combined sewer systems (CSS) in many older cities. In these systems, both sewage and stormwater flow through a single pipe, and when intense rainfall occurs, the system can become inundated, leading to combined sewer overflows (CSOs) – the discharge of untreated wastewater directly into nearby waterways.
The EPA estimates that around 772 cities in 32 states are served by these combined sewer systems, with the majority located in the Northeast and Midwest – the very regions that are seeing the biggest increases in heavy precipitation due to climate change. In 2004, the EPA estimated that about 850 billion gallons of untreated wastewater and stormwater were released as CSOs each year in the US.
That’s a staggering amount of pollution finding its way into our rivers, lakes, and coastal waters. And the problem isn’t going away anytime soon. As climate change continues to bring more extreme weather events, the frequency and volume of these CSOs are likely to increase, posing serious threats to public health and the environment.
A Glimmer of Hope: The Infrastructure Investment and Jobs Act
But it’s not all doom and gloom. In late 2021, the bipartisan Infrastructure Investment and Jobs Act (IIJA) was signed into law, providing over $50 billion in funding to the EPA to improve our nation’s drinking water, wastewater, and stormwater infrastructure. This represents the single largest investment in water that the federal government has ever made.
For communities like ours, this presents a unique opportunity to tackle the intertwined challenges of climate change and aging infrastructure. By strategically investing in green infrastructure solutions, we can not only upgrade our outdated systems, but also build in greater resilience to extreme weather events.
Greening the Gray: How Green Infrastructure Can Help
Green infrastructure is an approach that mimics natural water flow and absorption to reduce stormwater pollution and manage excess runoff. This can include things like permeable pavement, rain gardens, bioswales, and urban tree canopies – all of which help to slow the flow of water, filter out contaminants, and replenish groundwater supplies.
Compared to traditional “gray” infrastructure like concrete pipes and treatment plants, green solutions often come with a host of co-benefits. They can reduce urban heat island effects, improve air quality, enhance biodiversity, and even provide recreational green spaces for the community. And crucially, they can complement and enhance the performance of existing wastewater systems, helping to reduce the strain on overtaxed pipes and treatment facilities.
The city of Albany, New York is a great example of how green infrastructure can be integrated into a community’s water management strategy. By installing permeable pavement, rain gardens, and other green features, they’ve been able to divert millions of gallons of stormwater from their combined sewer system, ultimately reducing the frequency and volume of CSOs. And over in Toledo, Ohio, the city has embarked on an ambitious plan to transform vacant lots into lush wetlands and bioretention basins, providing natural flood control while also creating new community green spaces.
These are the kinds of innovative solutions we need to be exploring in our own backyard. By thinking beyond the traditional “gray” approaches and embracing the power of nature, we can build a water infrastructure that’s not only more resilient, but also more sustainable and equitable for the long haul.
Navigating the Path Forward: Challenges and Opportunities
Of course, the road ahead won’t be easy. Implementing green infrastructure at scale requires significant coordination, community engagement, and long-term planning – not to mention the upfront investment. And there’s still a lot of uncertainty around how these natural systems will perform under the stresses of climate change.
But the potential benefits are too great to ignore. Reducing the burden on our wastewater systems means fewer CSOs and cleaner waterways. Enhancing natural flood control means less damage to homes and businesses during extreme weather events. Creating green spaces means healthier, more livable communities. And building in greater resilience means we’ll be better equipped to weather the storms of the future.
So where do we go from here? Well, I for one am excited to see what our city can accomplish with the help of the IIJA funding and the expertise of partners like Alpha Wastewater. It’s going to take a concerted, collaborative effort, but I believe that by embracing the power of green infrastructure, we can transform our water systems and build a more sustainable, climate-resilient future for generations to come.
Who knows, maybe one day we’ll even be able to stop worrying about torrential downpours and overflowing sewers, and start enjoying all the recreational, environmental, and public health benefits that come with a well-designed, climate-smart water infrastructure. A girl can dream, right?