MMSD: 506 Million Gallons of Sewage

This is a staggering and stinking figure.

Last Thursday and Friday, MMSD dumped 506 million gallons of untreated sewage into Lake Michigan and nearby waterways.

For some perspective on the enormity of that amount of crap being directed into the lake, consider how much oil has leaked into the Gulf of Mexico following the accident on the Deepwater Horizon rig. One estimate puts the gallons of oil spilled so far at 92,340,117.

Since April 20, over 92 million gallons of oil have fouled the Gulf.

Last Thursday and Friday, MMSD dumped 506 millions of filth into the lake.

That's an environmental disaster.

From the Milwaukee Journal Sentinel:

The third, and largest, combined sanitary and storm sewer overflow of 2010 spilled an estimated 506 million gallons of untreated wastewater into local rivers and Lake Michigan on Thursday and Friday, Milwaukee Metropolitan Sewerage District officials said Monday.

The overflow volume is nearly equal to the total 521 million gallons of storage available in the district's main deep tunnel and northwest side tunnel.

Combined sewer overflows began early Thursday as the district's main tunnel quickly filled during intense rain storms, the district says in a report to the state Department of Natural Resources. A gauge in the 3600 block of W. Fond du Lac Ave. measured 5.6 inches of rain Thursday, exceeding the threshold for a storm that has only a 1% chance of occurring in any year.

Overflows began after gates connecting combined sewers in central Milwaukee and eastern Shorewood to the main tunnel were ordered closed at 1:20 a.m. Thursday, the report says.

The emergency step was taken to reserve space in the tunnel for wastewater flows from communities served by separate sanitary sewers. Overflows reduce the risk of sewage backups into basements.

A June 15 rain storm resulted in combined sewer overflows of 23.6 million gallons. A brief combined sewer overflow on July 7 discharged 1.65 million gallons of a sewage and storm water mix to waterways.

The main deep tunnel filled nearly to capacity by 9 a.m. Thursday so gates connecting separate sanitary sewers to the tunnel were closed, resulting in sanitary sewer overflows.

The 5.6 inches of rain cited in the Journal Sentinel story is a bit misleading. I don't question the accuracy of that total being recorded at that particular gauge, but that amount of rainfall doesn't represent the amounts recorded throughout the area.

Here's a list of rain totals from July 14 and 15, 2010:

5.0"...Milwaukee-northwest side-Sherman Blvd...830am
5.0"...Pewaukee (Waukesha co.)...800am
4.8"...Wauwatosa (Milwaukee co.)...900am
4.6"...Brookfield (Waukesha co.)...730am
4.5"...2 mile SE Timmerman Airport...800am
4.5"...New Berlin (Waukesha co.)...800am
4.5"...Delafield (Waukesha co.)...1000am)
4.4"...Menomonee Falls (Waukesha co.)...900am
4.4"...Slinger (Washington co.)...930am
4.4"...Jackson (Washington co.)...600am
4.3"...Hartland (Waukesha co.)...1030am
4.2"...Oconomowoc (Waukesha co.)...700am
4.2"...1 mile north Watertown (Dodge co.)...700am
4.2"...Hustisford (Dodge co.)...900am
4.1"...Fredonia (Ozaukee co.)...730am
4.1"...Merton (Waukesha co.)...1000am
4.1"...Holy Hill (Washington co.)...600am
4.0"...TODAY'S TMJ4 (Milwaukee co.)...715am
4.0"...Newburg (Washington co.)...800am
3.9"...West Bend (Washington co.)...700am
3.9"...Hartford (Washington co.)...900am
3.7"...Germantown (Washington co.)...900am
3.6"...Merton (Waukesha co.)...700am
3.6"...Cedar Grove (Sheboygan co.)...930am
3.5"...Saukville (Ozaukee co.)...600am
3.5"...Allenton (Washington co.)...700am
3.5"...Waterloo (Jefferson co.)...700am
3.5"...Elkhart Lake (Sheboygan co.)...800am
3.4"...Richfield (Wshington co.)...700am
3.4"...Beaver Dam (Dodge co.)...900am
3.4"...Horicon (Dodge co.)...700am
3.3"...Waukesha (Waukesha co.)...700am
3.2"...St. Francis (Milwaukee co.)...1000am
3.2"...5 mile SW Campbellsport (Washington co.)...700am
3.2"...Sullivan NWS (Jefferson co.)...700am
3.2"...Waupun (Dodge co.)...1000am
3.1"...West Allis (Milwaukee co.)...700am
3.1"...South Milwaukee (Milwaukee co.)...915am
3.0"...Greenfield (Milwaukee co.)...830am
3.0"...Mequon (Ozaukee co.)...930am
3.0"...Port Washington (Ozaukee co.)...730am
3.0"...Big Bend (Waukesha co.)...715am
2.9"...Fond du Lac (Fond du Lac co.)...700am
2.8"...Genesee (Waukesha co.)...1000am
2.8"...Sheboygan Falls (Sheboygan co.)...930am
2.8"...Taycheedah (Fond du Lac co.)...600am
2.7"...Mitchell Int'l Airport (Milwaukee co.)...700am
2.5"...Sheboygan (Sheboygan co.)...600am
2.0"...Madison (Dane co.)...700am
0.4"...4 mile S Whitewater (Walworth co.)...1000am

Without a doubt, that's a lot of rain, but it's not as if the 5-inch plus rain totals were the norm.

The massive 506 million gallon dump event is amazing.

On Thursday and Friday alone, the amount of untreated wastewater, SEWAGE, intentionally poured into Lake Michigan was 5 times the amount of oil that has spilled into the Gulf since April 20.

It's sickening that Russ Feingold and Tom Barrett are running campaign commercials, posturing as the protectors of the Great Lakes and standing up to the oil companies, while they turn a blind eye to the 506 million gallon dump.

Is anyone else as horrified by this sewage spill as I am?

This was no accident. This, supposedly, is the Deep Tunnel working as it should be.

Is this just business as usual for southeastern Wisconsin?

Where's the outrage?
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UPDATE: Make that 674 million gallons.