Bill Easterly reminds us that around the globe … there are more cell phones than toilets. My only comment, aside from what he says is, is it not completely insane that we choose to use our water systems as sanitation systems? I mean really, in the year 2010, is there any reason our human waste could and should not be handled outside of our water system? I don’t have any research or data to point to, but I would be willing to bet a great deal of money that we could handle our human waste a lot more cheaply and cleanly if we did not ever flush it into the lakes, rivers, seas and oceans (so to speak).
Fun Facts to Know and Tell
Apr 17th, 2010 by wintercow20
Careful, Wintercow. Don’t beg the question. “We” do not generally flush our waste into our drinking water, unless you are talking about Paris and London and New York City in times of yore. I’m not a global expert on this problem, but living in the country for all these years you do not locate your well anywhere near whatever septic system you have, and there are plenty of local regulations to take care of that problem. Actually, one problem local sewer authorities have is releasing water that is too clean into “high value” streams.
Even NYC has a great drinking water supply, though I would not want to get a mouthful swimming in the East River.
This is not to say it is not a problem elsewhere, as anyone who has eaten a club sandwich in Acapulco can attest. I just hope our Cap-and-Trade taxes are not shipped to St. Petersburg (Russia) or Mexico to install waterless toilets, and then pay the U.N. to figure out what to do with all that, er, waste.
I hope Rochester does not just drain it all into Lake Ontario, unless the pipe extends to the Canada side of the lake.