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The Hidden Rivers of Brooklyn

Royte, Elizabeth
http://harpers.org/archive/2016/03/the-hidden-rivers-of-brooklyn/

Publisher:  Harper's
Date Written:  01/03/2016
Year Published:  2016  
Resource Type:  Article

A look at the extensive drainage and sewer system under the streets of Brooklyn, NY. When pipes fill up and plants reach capacity, untreated water containg sewage flows into local rivers and bays. However a bold green infrastructure initiative hopes to reduce such overflows by 3.8 billion gallons a year.

Abstract: 
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Excerpt:

Like more than 700 other U.S. cities, New York has a "combined" sewage system, which means that rain from the streets joins sewage in underground drainpipes. When the system was designed, more than a century ago, those pipes discharged into local waterways. These days, the flow is pumped to wastewater-treatment plants for filtering and disinfection. But in some areas, as little as a quarter-inch of rain can drown the system. Pipes fill up, plants reach capacity, and untreated sewage, along with storm water, gushes into our rivers and bays.

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