70 



8 



We also noted during these field surveys that sewage, medical and drug 

 related debris was found to be most abundant in several cities like New York, 

 Boston, Philadelphia, and Baltimore. These cities have combined sewer systems 

 that discharge raw sewage into the harbors during periods of heavy rainfall. 

 Materials released from several combined sewer overflow points in two cities, 

 Philadelphia, PA, and Boston, MA were identified and quantified. Storm drains 

 have been sampled to determine their significance as a source of marine debris. 



Many people do not realize that the traah they throw into the street today 

 will be washed down the storm sewer by rain and out to the nearest waterway 

 tomorrow. To better control this source we are strengthening our regulations under 

 the CWA, and developing technical guidance for municipalities to use to improve 

 the quality of their storm sewer and CSO effluent. We are also strongly 

 advocating recycling and reuse of plastic and other materials - 



To better educate the public, which can be a significant source of marine 

 debris, we have developed a marine debris curriculum for grade school students. 

 This curriculum educates our children on the impacts of marine debris, especially 

 plastics, and teaches them about pollution prevention techniques. We presently 

 are working on a Spanish translation of this curriculum, which will be an excellent 

 teaching tool for the Gulf of Mexico eree end the wider Caribbean. 



