Yuck, Raw Sewage in the Merrimack River

This is just wrong.

WMUR reports on the efforts by local elected members of Congress to obtain funds for a clean-up of the Merrimack River, which affects those in New Hampshire and Massachusetts.

The Merrimack River provides drinking water to a half a million people downstream from Manchester.  Not to mention how many people use the river for recreation purposes.

It should not take an act of Congress to get this mess cleaned up.  For years local officials have been working on the problem of upgrading the old wastewater infrastructure, but money is tight for local municipalities.

According to wmur, the pollution is at its worst after a storm event with heavy rains.  The old storm drain system combines sewage and stormwater when it discharges into the river.

So, if U.S. Rep. Lori Trahan of Massachusetts gets passage on her Stop the Sewage Overflow Act, it could still take decades of work for the clean-up to be complete.

Frank McNeill, chief engineer of the Manchester Wastewater Treatment Plant estimates that it could be “roughly 40 years and $400 million” to make the clean-up happen, according to WMUR.

In the meantime, if you are out kayaking on the Merrimack River, don’t drink the water.