Sandy's Unsung Damage - 11 Billion Gallons Of Raw & Partially Treated Sewage Overflowing In 8 States
Hurricane Sandy was one of the largest storms to hit the northeast U.S. in recorded history, killing 159, knocking out power to millions, and causing $70 billion in damage in eight states. Sandy also put the vulnerability of critical infrastructure in stark relief by paralyzing subways, trains, road and air traffic, flooding hospitals, crippling electrical substations, and shutting down power and water to tens of millions of people. But one of the larger infrastructure failures is less appreciated: sewage overflow.
Six months after Sandy, data from the eight hardest hit states shows that 11 billion gallons of untreated and partially treated sewage flowed into rivers, bays, canals, and in some cases, city streets, largely as a result of record storm-surge flooding that swamped the region’s major sewage treatment facilities. To put that in perspective, 11 billion gallons is equal to New York’s Central Park stacked 41 feet high with sewage, or more than 50 times the BP Deepwater Horizon oil spill. The vast majority of that sewage flowed into the waters of New York City and northern New Jersey in the days and weeks during and after the storm.
EDIT
In addition to sewage overflows, Sandy severely damaged numerous treatment plants and pumping stations. Damage to a number of treatment plants kept largely untreated sewage flowing into local waterways for weeks, and in some cases, even months after the storm. The last known Sandy-related sewage overflow took place in January 2013.
Climate Central is unable to estimate the total costs of repairing sewage systems impacted by Sandy, but according to state authorities: The cost of repairing Sandy’s damage to sewage treatment plants in New York is nearly $2 billion. The New Jersey Department of Environmental Protection plans to allocate nearly $1 billion for recovery and repair of facilities, and another $1.7 billion for building resilience into the system.
EDIT
http://www.climatecentral.org/news/11-billion-gallons-of-sewage-overflow-from-hurricane-sandy-15924