Sandy exposes weaknesses of antiquated sewage systems in N.Y., N.J.

Park, a complex that serves 40 percent of Nassau County, spent days before the storm protecting the plant with emergency measures and officials thought they it was safe, but less than thirty minutes after the storm hit the plant, the main engines for the plant’s pumping system were under twelve feet of water, and as a result sewage began to back up and overflow into low-lying homes.

The plant was shut down for more than two days and almost 200 million gallons of raw sewage entered channels and waterways.

“Never, ever, ever has this happened before,” Michael Martino, a spokesman for the Nassau County Department of Public Works told the Times. Last week, Martino said that the plant was back in operation and that the treatment of sewage was improving every day.

Even before the storm hit, the plant at Bay Park was in need of new equipment.

When the plant was originally built in 1949, the county’s population was  half of the 550,000 residents the plant serves today. Even heavy rains cause occasional sewage leaks, particularly in low-lying areas according to residents. In 2011 the county was fined $1.5 million for various violations including illegally pumping more than three million gallons of partially treated sewage into the East Rockaway Channel.

Nassau County Executive Edward Mangano has invested over $70 million in order to improve the sewage system, but officials have saidthe damage from the storm was a major setback.

The Times notes that residents of Barnes Avenue in Baldwin, a stretch about three miles from the Bay Park plant have been complaining for months about sewage that floods streets and homes during heavy rains. When Hurricane Irene released human waste onto lawns and porches last year, the county bolted manhole covers shut to prevent that from happening again.

During Sandy, the manhole covers held their ground, but the wastewater still found its way to the surface and washed away part of the road.

The awful smell of human waste still hung over the neighborhood as workers in hazmat suits decontaminated homes last week. The sewage along with about four feet of flood water found their way through floors and walls and many homes had to be stripped down to their frames in order to be decontaminated.

If the waste is not cleaned it could cause salmonella, hepatitis A, and giardia. According to Vince Radke, a sanitarian at the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, contaminated items such as drywall, insulation, and furniture should be thrown out.

Martino said that Nassau County has been “very aggressive” when it came to informing residents of the dangers. Martino also said that Mangano, the country executive, has created a plan to clean up the damage in private homes and that the county was sending crews to help.

Officials are still assessing the damage and environmental impact in other areas.

The Environmental Protection Agency, has detected dangerous levels of fecal coliform, a bacteria associated with human waste, and has urged citizens to avoid contact with the water. Also bans on shellfish have been imposed in some regions.