Why this Matters to our Collective Future
"So many problems in marine conservation are so big that people can’t figure out how to possibly solve them — the systems are so complex, the contributing factors are diverse."
"I would argue that the problem of untreated sewage literally has a shut-off valve and is something worth exploring as a focal strategy in our coral reef conservation."
Stephanie Wear – lead scientist at The Nature Conservancy
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Unfortunate Facts About Marine Sewage
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A single overboard discharge of human waste can be detected in up to a one square mile area of shallow water such as a bay.
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Releasing untreated sewage from a 20-gallon holding tank has the same impact as discharging several thousand gallons of treated sewage from an efficiently operated treatment plant.
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Marine sewage is approximately 12 times more concentrated than untreated municipal sewage and approximately 188 times more concentrated than treated municipal sewage (measured in B.O.D.).
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Chemical additives (used to deodorize vessel holding tanks) compound the problem. Such additives include; formaldehyde, paraformaldehyde, quaternary ammonium chloride, and zinc sulfate – all of which are catastrophic to marine environments.
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Fecal contamination is responsible beach closures around the world.
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Marine sewage effluent has been directly linked to an increase in the frequency and magnitude of harmful algal blooms such as red tide.
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Marine sewage effluent has been linked to outbreaks of flesh-eating bacteria (vibrio vulnificus).
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