The Environment Thread

[DJChameleon]

About untreated wastewater getting into our natural recipients.. It's a problem I'm somewhat aware of due to my line of work, but I'm also aware that most people have no idea. They also don't understand the staggering amount of money and investment needed to fix it.

In Norway, but probably much of the world, a lot of sewage infrastructure is old. It's from the 50s, 60s, 70s, 80s. Ideally, it should last 100 years, but the reality is it doesn't. And since it was dug down, population count goes up in larger cities and warming climate may mean more rainwater enters the sewage system. Or rain intensity is up so there's more water when it rains. A lot of places can't really handle any rain before there's no capacity and wastewater ends up in the closest river or ocean.

People just figure these things work, including politicians, and it's not exactly sexy election material. It doesn't get politicians attention and anyways, they're woefully ignorant on all these challenges.

Copy & paste this problem to cities in the UK, US and elsewhere.

Our city is currently laying new pipes to handle the waste water issues that comes from heavy rainfall. They are installing a new system for it. They have been doing construction for it going on two years now it feels like.

[Lisnaholic]

One thing I don't get is why people feel the need to go out and drive in it. Stay the fuck at home if it's raining heavy like that.

Yeah, that's something that surprises me too. Obviously some people are caught out, mid-journey by flash-flooding etc, but from what we see on the internet, there seem to be others who think "It can't be that bad, I think I'll drive out and risk it. If I hit probs then some emergency service guy can risk his life saving me: that's their job."

People just figure these things work, including politicians, and it's not exactly sexy election material. It doesn't get politicians attention and anyways, they're woefully ignorant on all these challenges.

Yes, guybrush. People and politicians underestimate the size, and cost of fixing, these drainage problems. Also, before disaster strikes, leakage, contamination, restricted flow etc, below ground is typically invisible. What's even worse in terms of funding is that millions of dollars could be invested, and there's still nothing to see: no shiny new bridge or roundabout to be proud of.

[Guybrush]

Our city is currently laying new pipes to handle the waste water issues that comes from heavy rainfall. They are installing a new system for it. They have been doing construction for it going on two years now it feels like.

Just guessing, but they're probably separating rainwater from household and industry sewage. From old, rainwater and sewage has usually shared the wastewater system. Later, it's been popular to separate these into two systems. It typically takes many years of not decades to completely separate a wastewater system.

We're mostly done here, but have some shared system left in the old city center where digging up streets and putting new pipes down is particularly costly and upsetting to citizens, businesses and maybe even tourists.

Sad thing is even though our wastewater infrastructure is mostly separated, we still get lots of rain and seawater into the sewage due to leaky pipes, dumb solutions, high tide, etc. It might help, but it's not a solution.

[DJChameleon]

Just guessing, but they're probably separating rainwater from household and industry sewage. From old, rainwater and sewage has usually shared the wastewater system. Later, it's been popular to separate these into two systems. It typically takes many years of not decades to completely separate a wastewater system.

We're mostly done here, but have some shared system left in the old city center where digging up streets and putting new pipes down is particularly costly and upsetting to citizens, businesses and maybe even tourists.

Sad thing is even though our wastewater infrastructure is mostly separated, we still get lots of rain and seawater into the sewage due to leaky pipes, dumb solutions, high tide, etc. It might help, but it's not a solution.

I copy pasted this from the city's website. Does this sound familiar?

The City of Newburgh is currently operating under a consent order with the New York State Department of Environmental Conservation to implement its Long Term CSO Control Plan which includes the construction of various large-scale wastewater infrastructure projects over a 15 year timeline for the purpose of reducing the frequency and duration of combined sewer overflows to the Hudson River.

[Psy-Fi]

World's Air Pollution: Real-time Air Quality Index

[Psy-Fi]

Japan's Fukushima nuclear plant prepares to release diluted radioactive water into the sea

[Lisnaholic]

^ Yeah, that looks like a very worrying solution to the problems that still remain at Fukushima.

The warning from scientists about the destabilising of cold Arctic air and the consequent wobbling of the jet stream have come true this summer: that's the reason why heat domes are now afflicting the US and Europe. It sadly gives more credence to one of their next predictions, which is of a catastrophic global change: the disruption of global water currents:-

https://edition.cnn.com/2023/07/25/world/gulf-stream-atlantic-current-collapse-climate-scn-intl/index.html

This one feels close to home for me, because the UK enjoys mild winters thanks to the Gulf Stream and because the possible dates mentioned for the collapse include 2025.  

[jimmy jazz]

It's been absolutely pissing it down for about three weeks now Lisa, I personally am loving it because I still remember those few days where we had 40c heat last year.

I nearly cried lads I'm not joking.

[Nimbly9]

I remember the good old days before I was born when a global ice age was coming.

[Lisnaholic]

^ Haha! I also remember the good old days, when the weather was a slightly erratic, but well-ordered system following the predictable laws of nature. Sadly, it was just a brief period between (i) the era of making sacrifices to the gods to ensure a decent crop and (ii) waiting for climate-warming doomsday.

[Nimbly9]

"Temperatures have been dropping for 30 years" lol....if only they knew.

[Psy-Fi]

Tiny Tim - The Ice Caps Are Melting

[jadis]

Global Boiling

[FETCHER.]

Scotland has been unbearable for a good 3 or 4 summers in a row. Even when it's raining. It's so humid here now, I can barely do anything without sweating buckets.

[Lexi Darling]

Scotland has been unbearable for a good 3 or 4 summers in a row. Even when it's raining. It's so humid here now, I can barely do anything without sweating buckets.

Same, it was good for a couple days earlier this week but now I'm getting absolutely cooked. Summer in general is not the best time for someone who wears a full face of makeup 5 days of the week.