From Sewer to Stream
PC takes us from Sewer to stream
Imagine if every time you washed your hands, took a shower, or flushed the toilet, that dirty water flowed directly from your pipes into the closest river or lake.
This is happening across much of southeastern Louisiana.
In recent years, St. Tammany and Tangipahoa parishes have grown rapidly, but without a connection to a central sewer system. Most homes and neighborhoods must manage their own sewer treatment plants in their own yards.
On the Northshore, as many as 2 in 3 homes have individual sewer systems. From our work in these neighborhoods, we estimate that 50% of these systems are likely to fail an inspection and mismanage wastewater. That means that untreated dirty water from sinks, toilets, and showers would flow directly into nearby rivers and lakes.
How does it get there?
After you flush, water flows from your pipes to the sewer system in your yard. If your system is damaged or unmaintained, the waste you flushed will not be cleaned or treated, but it will continue on its path through a ditch, down canals, and finally into a nearby river.
The Pontchartrain Conservancy has been working for 30 years to maintain the health of our lake and coast. We work not only to cultivate a healthy ecosystem that can protect our communities from storm surge and mitigate land loss but also for a productive estuary that provides ample fisheries for us to share with others as part of our vibrant culture. Today we are continuing that work by helping Northshore communities manage the sewer systems in their yards and steward their rivers and bayous that flow into the Pontchartrain Estuary.