Information on working terriers, dogs, natural history, hunting, and the environment, with occasional political commentary as I see fit. This web log is associated with the Terrierman.com web site.
Friday, October 22, 2021
A Lot of Trouble Flowing to One Spot
The water in every toiletthat is flushed in the enormous Mississippi River drainage eventually flows south to New Orleans, Louisiana.
And the settlement scheme for that city? A French work of art.
Terrierman, I must take exception to this post of 10/22/21 stating that "Every flushed toilet from the Mississippi River drainage flows through New Orleans, Louisiana". I have always expected a much less sensational statements from you. If you would kindly substitute the word "every" with a word like some, most, many, or a phrase like "the majority of", then the statement will be correct. I can only speak for the State of Minnesota, having spent my career in it's employ as a wastewater specialist, but I can say with certainty that most of the toilets in Minnesota are highly regulated, and that most of the wastewater that is produced is treated by several methods, and that most of that treated effluent is in fact discharged to surface waters. However a portion of that treated effluent is disposed of by rapid infiltration into the ground, spray irrigation onto golf courses, non human consumption crops, and other land disposal options. Also, there are several hundred thousand rural homes that are not connected to a municipal wastewater treatment facility, rather they utilize an "on-site" treatment system that is specifically designed for the home and soils present on that rural site. These systems discharge treated effluent into the soil and not surface waters. While I totally agree in the sentiment that the Mississippi River and its tributaries and the Gulf of Mexico have been, and continue to be treated like open sewers, it is not true that all toilets flushed there, contribute to that pollution.
Thanks for changing the language of the post, but still not quite true. That portion of treated effluent from toilets which is discharged to ground and soil goes into groundwater. That groundwater does not necessarily flow into surface water. Not all groundwater is connected to surface waters, and groundwater hydrology behaves differently from surface water hydrology, ie. groundwater does not necessarily flow into or follow or interact precisely with surface watersheds. Thanks for the opportunity to comment. PF
2 comments:
Terrierman, I must take exception to this post of 10/22/21 stating that "Every flushed toilet from the Mississippi River drainage flows through New Orleans, Louisiana". I have always expected a much less sensational statements from you. If you would kindly substitute the word "every" with a word like some, most, many, or a phrase like "the majority of", then the statement will be correct. I can only speak for the State of Minnesota, having spent my career in it's employ as a wastewater specialist, but I can say with certainty that most of the toilets in Minnesota are highly regulated, and that most of the wastewater that is produced is treated by several methods, and that most of that treated effluent is in fact discharged to surface waters. However a portion of that treated effluent is disposed of by rapid infiltration into the ground, spray irrigation onto golf courses, non human consumption crops, and other land disposal options. Also, there are several hundred thousand rural homes that are not connected to a municipal wastewater treatment facility, rather they utilize an "on-site" treatment system that is specifically designed for the home and soils present on that rural site. These systems discharge treated effluent into the soil and not surface waters. While I totally agree in the sentiment that the Mississippi River and its tributaries and the Gulf of Mexico have been, and continue to be treated like open sewers, it is not true that all toilets flushed there, contribute to that pollution.
Thanks for changing the language of the post, but still not quite true. That portion of treated effluent from toilets which is discharged to ground and soil goes into groundwater. That groundwater does not necessarily flow into surface water. Not all groundwater is connected to surface waters, and groundwater hydrology behaves differently from surface water hydrology, ie. groundwater does not necessarily flow into or follow or interact precisely with surface watersheds. Thanks for the opportunity to comment. PF
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