Major US cities including NYC, Boston and Philadelphia could be 'inundated' by floods of raw SEWAGE, study reveals
Major coastal cities like New York City, Boston and Philadelphia could be 'inundated' by untreated sewage flooding into streets and basements, a study has warned.
Scientists determined that the mid-1850s pipe networks, coupled with rising sea levels and increased rainfall are enough to overload the systems and send wastewater flowing through the streets.
The pipes originally discharged into streams and rivers before being redirected toward wastewater treatment facilities that cut through cities.
The systems were also designed to handle up to 1.75 inches of rainfall per hour in areas like New York City, for example.
But new models predict the amount of rainfall could exceed by two inches per hour over the next three decades.
Older coastal cities like New York City, Boston and Philadelphia could be 'inundated' by untreated sewage flooding into streets and basements. Pictured: Boston residents experienced coastal flooding during heavy rainfall in January 2024
New York City is one of the top metropolises at risk of sewage flooding because the pipes, built in the mid-1850s, weren't made to withstand rainfall exceeding 1.75 inches per hour. Pictured: Man tries to unblock sewage grate after Hurricane Irene hit Coney Island in 2011
In the new study, published in the journal Water Management Modeling, researchers at Drexel University analyzed Camden, New Jersey - an area prone to flooding - to determine how climate change could impact the systems along the East Coast.
The city, which borders the Delaware River, constructed its system in 1845, making it comparable to those in New York, Boston and Philadelphia.
The team created climate models to simulate future flooding and Combined Sewer Overflows (CSOs), which is when systems collect rainwater runoff, sewage and industrial waste into one pipe, by 2100.
Precipitation in the city is already up to 10 percent higher than the baseline set in 1999, but the new model showed that future precipitation will increase by 30 percent.
It also determined that sea levels will rise by nearly six feet by the end of the century, leading sewage flooding to increase by between 21 and 66 percent.
The results have suggested that sewage-tainted floods would last for nearly 65 days.
The model found that increases in the intensity of precipitation see flooding last for nearly 65 days.
Roughly 40 million people live in areas with combined sewer systems, making it critical that steps are taken to mitigate the risk of overflow. Pictured: Coney Island residents try to unblock a sewer grate in 2011
In 2019, sewage flooded into about 300 homes in Jamaica, Queens, destroying furniture, electronics and other belongings as the putrid waste spread throughout the area. Pictured: Sewage backup that filled Cynthia McKenzie's home in Jamaica Queens in November 2019
The team proposed one solution that would involve diverting upstream storm water away from Cramer's Hill, the main sewer system - located in the northern corner of Camden - but the researchers said they're still looking into other possible options.
'It's exciting to work with them now on the development of solutions that can also reduce flooding and make Camden's neighborhoods more resilient to climate change,' said Franco Montalto, a professor at Drexel University and the study's lead author.
In recent years, federal agencies have claimed they're taking steps to resolve the sewage flooding but the researchers said the efforts aren't enough.
The Department of Environmental Protection introduced a $62 million project to upgrade the infrastructure by replacing the sewers with larger pipes, but it didn't stop New York residents' basements from flooding during heavy rainfall last year.
A storm saturated areas across New York in September, causing sewer water to flood into the streets, subway stations and people's homes from over 7,400 miles of pipes.
'We're in this new territory where we're seeing higher intensity rainfalls like this,' Daniel A. Zarrilli, former climate policy adviser to the mayor told the New York Times.
'Once you've exceeded the capacity of the sewers themselves, that's what causes these backups. When the pipes can't handle it, it backs up.'
Earlier this year, one Boston resident said three separate rainstorms caused his home to overflow with sewage each time and his efforts to block the floods only made it worse.
'[It] started coming up through the shower right there,' he told CBS News, adding that when he tried to block the shower drain the sewage came up through the toilet.
'For probably 15, 16 hours, we're talking about thousands of gallons running through here,' he said.
'Going through the back of the house, going into my dining room, going into my bedroom and into the kitchen, like everything is ruined.'
In 2019, sewage flooded into about 300 homes in Jamaica, Queens, destroying furniture, electronics and other belongings as the putrid waste spread throughout the area.
'It's messy,' one resident who posted photos of murky water covering the floor of a basement bedroom told AP News.
'When you open it, it just smells. It makes you want to vomit. … The odor is just unbelievable,' she said.
Roughly 40 million people live in areas with combined sewer systems, making it critical that steps are taken to mitigate the risk of overflow.
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