Have you heard about the recent issue with raw sewage being poured into the ocean by the ton? According to this article, Chinese ships have been dumping poop into the South China Sea. As a matter of fact, more than 200 ships have dumped so much sewage you can reportedly see it from space. The amount dumped into the sea is “causing extensive damage to coral reefs.” The Insider article states, “The satellite images taken over five years – between May 14, 2016 and June 17, 2021 – show a stark contrast in alga growth. Researchers found that 236 Chinese vessels were recorded motionless in the waters during that time period.” Chinese officials rebuked the report, but according to this article, the U.S.-based geospatial imaging-analysis firm defended the report. The firm, Simularity, claimed to have found high concentrations of chlorophyll-a around hundreds of ships moored around the Spratly Islands. Liz Derr, the firm’s CEO, said, “In terms of determining where that chlorophyll is coming from, it’s a bit of a smoking gun that we are seeing big blooms of plants right where the ships are.” The article continues with, “Excess phytoplankton can deplete oxygen in the water and asphyxiate fish and other marine life, according to marine experts. The uncontrolled growth of algae and other plants can overtake coral reefs and destroy marine habitat.” This is all to say it is actually not a good thing to pour thousands of tons of raw sewage into the ocean. Who would’ve thought?
Sewage and grey water are meant to go down pipes that eventually lead to treatment plants, not directly into the ocean. It’s not meant to leak into your yard, your basement, or even under the street outside of the pipes either, and yet this happens thousands of times every day across the country. Apex Plumbing is uniquely qualified to handle it when that does happen. As a company that specializes in underground water and sewer work, we have seen the disasters that can happen with bad pipes or no pipes at all. We’ve seen newly built houses where the plumbing is not connected to the city main. We’ve seen old homes where clay pipes have been ripped apart at the joints by tree roots. We’ve seen cast iron pipes that have rusted right through allowing sewage to spill into our customer’s yard. We have yet to work on the plumbing inside of a boat, but we’re called “the underground guys,” not “the underwater guys” so we probably won’t hold our breath on that (pun intended). Regardless, in each of these land-bound situations, we know exactly what to do because we’ve been in business for 36 years and have fixed thousands of sewer lines. If it’s wet utilities and it’s underground, we will install it, repair it, replace it, remove it, or move it.
On a more serious note, what’s reportedly happening in China is devastating to the marine life and this article is not intended to make light of the situation. We are acutely aware of how raw sewage can affect the environment and are saddened to hear of that happening. Overall, be aware of your pipes and their issues so as to not allow sewage to seep into your property. If you are in need of underground plumbing, contact us today!
