
A town that floods with raw sewage every time it rains - lilrhody
https://bostonreview.net/class-inequality-race/walter-johnson-american-bottom
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OrangeMango
This town is nearby to Cahokia [1], which was most likely the largest human
settlement in North America until the late 1700s. It declined and was
abandoned (in the 1300s or earlier) and there is ample evidence that flooding
was a major cause of the decline.

That general area has magnificent geographic advantage - the Mississippi River
just barely downriver from the confluence of both the Missouri and Illinois
Rivers. But it floods. It has always flooded, and it always will flood. The
French founded St. Louis on the other side of the river, on a bluff, so it
would be protected from flooding.

[1]
[https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Cahokia](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Cahokia)

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oefrha
Flooding of the Mississippi is somewhat different from flooding of raw sewage,
though. I’ve never lived in a naturally flooded region so can’t comment on the
former, but the latter does sound way more disgusting and insanitary.

~~~
Pfhreak
Also, the OP seems to be suggesting that the people who live here are somehow
to blame for this.

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OrangeMango
If you read that as me suggesting that the people living there are somehow to
blame, I apologize: that was not my intention.

~~~
Pfhreak
Sounds good. I apologize for interpreting it that way!

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wcchandler
I actually grew up just outside of here. And now I drive through it every day.
I always see the standing water, just never realized it was sewage. And now
that I know it is, it's kind of obvious. Here's one highlight of my drive:

[https://www.google.com/maps/@38.589682,-90.1282352,3a,75y,36...](https://www.google.com/maps/@38.589682,-90.1282352,3a,75y,36.66h,76.27t/data=!3m6!1e1!3m4!1sDdAxUjNVFe3ohV3YnLfK8w!2e0!7i13312!8i6656)

Be sure to adjust the time. This location is ALWAYS flooded. Standing, putrid
water. They tried building walls around the containment pond but it's no
longer enough. The house just to the west constantly has standing water in
their yard.

A part of their problem was highlighted in the article. These people are now
living in worthless homes. They cannot sell them. Nobody's buying them.

One good thing is there's talks about merging Centreville with Alorton. [1]
The premise being that a larger city can actually get adequate funding from
the state to address these issues.

[1]: [https://www.kmov.com/news/possible-merger-being-discussed-
fo...](https://www.kmov.com/news/possible-merger-being-discussed-for-a-pair-
of-cities-in/article_46bfbaa4-430c-11ea-8125-4f4e3a66fa13.html)

~~~
toomuchtodo
Great link, relevant points.

> A town hall is scheduled for next month to discuss the merger.

> Voters are expected to weigh-in on the March ballot.

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jimkri
Is there anything the community can do in these situations?

If the Commonfields of Cahokia is contracted (changed from supposed) to be
treating waster water and is visible failing, can a company come in to try to
fix the problem and ignore Commonfields?

This is kind of a weirdly worded question, but what I want to know is if
companies are actively being negligent can that be used against them to fight
the problem?

~~~
Pfhreak
I'm guessing it's a funding issue, and there isn't the tax base locally to pay
for fixes. Combined with aging infrastructure and changing climate, I expect a
lot more of this in years to come.

I wouldn't turn to companies to solve it though, we should be ensuring our tax
rates are sufficient to repair and replace our roads, bridges, sewers, etc.

~~~
MikeAmelung
It's not just funding, it's also that the local government in these areas is
entirely corrupt. Any money they do receive from above or collect from below
is sure to be siphoned one way or another. If it wasn't so un-American, I'd
suggest the only way they can be saved is to have the state or feds take over,
like too many of our school districts around here. Then again, every governor
of IL goes to jail, so maybe just the feds.

~~~
ghostbrainalpha
"Metro East, the city of East St. Louis had always served as more of a legal
shell for corporate privilege—low taxes, nonexistent regulation, minimal
public services—than a fully functioning city. By the late 1980s, the city’s
sewer system was failing, and the city government was being sued by the EPA
for misusing federal funds that had been earmarked for its repair."

Corruption was a big part of the problem. But the root goes deeper. This was
always a fake town, a hollow shell built to serve the interest of a business
that no longer exists.

I know this sounds cruel but the sewage is only a symptom of a larger problem.
The Fed shouldn't step in to fix the sewers, they should step in to assist in
relocating the residents somewhere else and let the ghost town sink into the
fetrid swamp.

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ropiwqefjnpoa
Maybe they need to do what the "Portland Anarchists" did for their bad roads.

~~~
jimkri
I did not know about this and this was exactly what I was wondering with the
question I asked above! Here is an article for others that are interested in
hear more about Portland Anarchist Road Care (PARC)

1\. [https://www.citylab.com/equity/2017/03/portland-
anarchists-w...](https://www.citylab.com/equity/2017/03/portland-anarchists-
want-to-fix-your-streets-potholes/519588/)

2\.
[https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Portland_Anarchist_Road_Care](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Portland_Anarchist_Road_Care)

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homonculus1
Why is he overhanding the tamper like that? Whats with the Fight Club stances?
It's hard to take anarchists seriously when everything they do is wrapped in
performative aggression.

~~~
ropiwqefjnpoa
lol

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Ohn0
Can someone explain to me how this problem is related to "areas made
uninhabitable by climate change"?

I mean, is this a poverty issue, a race issue, a taxation / government issue,
or a climate change issue? Or many or all of the above?

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IanDrake
Climate change is responsible for earth quakes, land sinking, and erosion...if
you believe journalists.

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colejohnson66
It’s not just journalists. It’s scientists.

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IanDrake
That's funny, whenever I hear far out claims made by journalists mentioned to
scientists, they always dimiss them.

But you're saying there are scientists claiming GW causes these naturally
occurring phenomenon.

The problem with GW is the same problem with most decentralized political
movements. Since no one defines the scope of the movement, any wingnut can co-
op the movement with their own BS.

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sugerman
What would make sewage not raw?

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jimkri
I think any type of treatment makes it not raw anymore. Since this sewage
leaks before it makes it to a treatment plant, its raw

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scohesc
If it's always flooded, why are they blaming climate change for it in the
headlines?

Kind of mis-leading...

