It is fairly well known that most of the nation’s sewer systems have reached the end of their useful design lives. Specifically, the transportation and water/wastewater industries have experienced problems related to aging sewer systems countless times over the years in the form of burst and broken pipes that not only snarl traffic but also have an effect on the surrounding community’s water and wastewater-related services.
Sewer systems also are chronically plagued by overflow during major rainstorms and heavy snow melts, concurrently causing havoc throughout the local infrastructure. According to the American Society of Civil Engineers, major rainstorms and snow melts are responsible for the discharge of billions of gallons of raw sewage into surface waters as well.
The U.S. Environmental Protection Agency estimated in 2004 that the volume of combined sewer overflows discharged nationwide is 850 billion gal per year. Meanwhile, the EPA also estimated that sanitary sewer overflows, caused by blocked or broken pipes, result in the release of as much as 10 billion gal of raw sewage.
In an effort to help combat the myriad of problems associated with chronic sewer overflow during major rainstorms and heavy snow melts, the staffs of both Water & Wastes Digest and Roads & Bridges have combined their efforts to once again produce this publication, Storm Water 2005. After producing last year’s immensely popular Storm Water 2004, it was a simple decision to press on with publication again this year.
Storm Water 2005 will appear in the qualified circulation of both Water & Wastes Digest and Roads & Bridges, in an effort to recognize the unique relationship that both publications have with the topic of storm water. Editorially, Storm Water 2005 contains a variety of stories relevant to the Water & Wastes Digest and Roads & Bridges readers. Our goal is to not only increase the awareness these two audiences share in regards to storm water, but also to provide examples of storm water-related applications that are currently being incorporated throughout the U.S.
In addition to Storm Water 2005, we welcome you to visit our website (www.estormwater.com) where you can find even more storm water-related content, including article archives, case histories, related products and suppliers and more.
