Cities Swimming in Raw Sewage as Hurricanes Overwhelm Systems
- Treatment plants unable to cope with influx from Irma, Harvey
- Human waste, chemicals sent to waterways by outmatched plants
Florida Suffers Widespread Fuel Shortages After Irma
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Hurricane Harvey took aim at one of the nation’s most industrial regions, releasing a stream of toxic pollutants from chemical plants, refineries and Superfund sites in Texas. But when its bigger sister Irma slammed into Florida, environmental alarms rang over a different kind of discharge: raw sewage.
Millions of gallons of poorly treated wastewater and raw sewage flowed into the bays, canals and city streets of Florida from facilities serving some of the nation’s fastest-growing counties. More than 9 million gallons of releases tied to Irma have been reported as of late Tuesday as inundated plants were submerged, forced to bypass treatment or lost power.