Raw Sewage Is Ending Up In Our River.
Stormwater pollution, likely caused from an overwhelmed combined sewer system, has been contributing to raw sewage and other pollutants ending up in the Kansas River. The situation was recently brought to Friends of the Kaw’s attention by a Strawberry Hill Resident that frequents Kaw Point and fishes the Kaw regularly. In his account the resident describes the pollution with devastating accuracy.
“When I reached the bank, I saw the usual trash, styrofoam, plastic etc. floating on this ‘slick’. Then I saw a feminine pad, and lots of toilet paper.
This disgusting first hand account is all to familiar. The EPA, the Unified Government of Kansas City, Kansas and Kansas City, Missouri have been working on long term solutions to this problem. Despite this action, the current situation is still far from favorable, and has been a problem for many years.It is important more people know the water they are drinking comes from polluted waterways. It seems ridiculous that approximately 2.5 billion gallons’ of sewage from Kansas City (Karen Dillon, Kansas City Star) ends up in the river each year.
“The water they are drinking, and giving their children to drink, came from a waterway containing used toilet paper, used feminine products, used condoms, and all the other stuff that is flushed down a toilet including 2.5 billion gallons of raw sewage each year.”
All of us should be conscious of how our actions impact the environment, and how our actions collectively impact our community. Please report pollution in your community, and do what you can to prevent it from impacting our river.
Paddle safely! Use the links below to quickly access information that impacts river conditions.
