Trabajo Previo

1. Busque las definiciones de las siguientes palabras y úselas en una

oración en inglés

Palabra Definición Oración

Rainwater runoff
Wastewater
Sewer
Sewage
Stormwater
Pipe
Overflow
Driveways
Debris

2. Lea el siguiente artículo.

The information presented above was taken from the Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) of
United States (https://www.epa.gov/npdes/combined-sewer-overflows-csos)

Combined Sewer Overflows (CSOs)

A combined sewer system collects rainwater runoff, domestic sewage, and
industrial wastewater into one pipe. Normally, it can transport all of the
wastewater to a treatment plant. Sometimes the amount of runoff exceeds the
capacity of the system. When that happens, untreated stormwater and
wastewater flows into nearby waterbodies. These events, called combined sewer
overflows, are subject to the National Pollutant Discharge Elimination System
(NPDES) permitting program.

Separate Sanitary Sewer System

Most U.S. communities today have separate sanitary sewer systems. In this type
of system, one set of pipes collects wastewater from homes and businesses and
carries it to a wastewater treatment plant through sanitary sewers. A separate set
of pipes collects stormwater from drains at the end of driveways, around parking
lots, and along streets and carries it to a local waterway through municipal
separate storm sewer systems (MS4s).

Illustration of a Separate Sanitary Sewer System

CSOs are a major water pollution and public health concern for approximately
700 communities in the United States. CSOs can contain bacteria, debris, and
other hazardous substances that can be harmful to people, pets, and wildlife.
CSOs can also cause beach closures, shellfish bed closures, algae growth,
reduced oxygen levels in waterways, and aesthetic impacts from floating debris
or oil slicks. The Clean Water Act requires communities with CSOs to put controls
in place to address these concerns.

Combined Sewer Overflow Solutions - Management Approaches

Communities implement a variety of approaches and technologies to mitigate the

impacts of combined sewer overflows (CSOs). The goals for these approaches
are to reduce the amount of combined sewage and stormwater discharged into
waterbodies and ensure timely notification of CSO discharges to the public.

 Green/Gray Infrastructure

Green infrastructure, as defined in the Clean Water Act, is "the range of

measures that use plant or soil systems, permeable pavement or other
permeable surfaces or substrates, stormwater harvest and reuse, or landscaping
to store, infiltrate, or evapotranspirate stormwater and reduce flows to sewer
systems or to surface waters." Green infrastructure can be a cost-effective,
resilient approach that reduces and treats stormwater at its source while
delivering environmental, social, and economic benefits. Green infrastructure can
complement gray infrastructure to control CSOs. It may also reduce the size of
more capital-intensive, “downstream” gray infrastructure control measures and
operating and energy expenditures.
Gray infrastructure refers to the engineered structures that help move stormwater
and wastewater away from the built environment. It consists of wastewater
treatment facilities, pipes, and sewer and stormwater systems. In addition to
conveying sewage to wastewater treatment facilities, gray infrastructure also
collects stormwater from hard surfaces (like rooftops, roads, and parking lots)
and directs it away from communities for discharge into local waters.

Clean Rivers Project

Located at the confluence of the Anacostia and Potomac Rivers, the District of
Columbia (DC) has been upgrading its century-old sewer system for years with
the help of DC Water’s Clean Rivers Project. The project includes a massive
system of tunnels, more than 100 feet deep, designed to reduce CSOs into DC’s
waterways by conveying more flow to the city’s wastewater treatment plant. DC
Water has also incorporated $100 million of green infrastructure into the project,
which has added jobs, improved streetscapes, and provided broad community
benefits. DC Water has already reduced CSO volume by 90 percent on the
Anacostia River and is on target to achieve a 98 percent reduction on the
Anacostia River by 2023 and a 96 percent reduction system wide by March 2030.