Haiti Earthquake Shows Importance of Sewage Infrastructure

When we think about the tragic events that occurred in Haiti, we often fail to think about the underlying cause of the secondary tragedy. The cause secondary national tragedy of illness and sanitation problems can be summed up with one word: infrastructure.

When the Hatian quake hit, it ruptured the few existing water lines. Even before the quake, there were open sewage systems otherwise known as ditches. After the quake, the open sewage systems were flooded with water, which spread disease. To compound this problem, there was limited clean water.

Here in New York we can be grateful for our extensive sewage and water lines but also wary of the importance of keeping it repaired. Contracting with sewer clean out services Weschester County, sewer contractors Rye, NY and doing regular sewer inspections White Plains, NY is what keeps us safe particularly in the wake of major tragedies.

And yet, New York’s sewer pipes are deteriorating more rapidly then they can be fixed. Many were built more than a century ago. The American Society of Civil Engineers (ASCE) assigned a D+ to US sewer lines and water pipes compared to other developed nations. The ASCE estimate that aging infrasture (mostly from our oldest cities) 6 billions gallons of untreated wastewater in the nations streams annually due to undersized sewer pipes and wastewater pipes which are frequently one and the same. Sometimes the damage is caused by broken sewer pipes Port Chester, NY left unrepaired.

For these reasons, it is vital that New York municipalities invest funding into updating and repairing their sewer systems. Work must be done before emergency sewer services Mount Vernon, NY are necessary. Capital funding must be increased to repair existing systems as well as perform basic maintenance such as sewer pipe cleanout. Municipalities should replace sewer lines Mamaroneck, NY when they have exceeded capacity. We don’t want our next national disaster to be doubled by an aging sewage system.