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Old 10-01-2003, 12:08 PM
Nick Maclaren
 
Posts: n/a
Default Raw sewage in the garden... problem or blessing?

In article ,
James Collings wrote:
During the floods of last week, Thames water sewage plants couldn't
cope...and the backlog of untreated sewage filled the pipes, until it burst
up and out of the drains... right into our back garden.

The result was 3 days of 6in deep sewage filled water covering a large
expanse of lawn and patio. Luckily none got in the house, but it is the
garden that I am concerned about.

After 3 days, the residue of sewage remained (the water soaked away), and 1
week later I am stil waiting for the "professional" clean-up of this toxic
stuff.

Question: Will the sewage adversely affect the lawn, or the Apple tree
(eaters), or the large clematis that it soaked? If this is not a bad
thing... will the "clean-up" with powerful detergents do more harm than
good?


If it is domestic sewage, and you don't use too many of the most toxic
household chemicals, then it will do little harm. Effectively, it will
break down as the weather warms up and be a general fertilisation. You
may well get localised damage from burning and smothering, but probably
no more.

There is a significant chance that the clean-up will do massive damage,
depending on what chemicals and techniques they use. I have no expertise
here, but I would be VERY cautious before allowing such a thing to be
done to my garden - even for free.

Why do you think that it is toxic? Human excrement isn't particularly
toxic, even if you do eat at MacDonalds.


Regards,
Nick Maclaren,
University of Cambridge Computing Service,
New Museums Site, Pembroke Street, Cambridge CB2 3QH, England.
Email:
Tel.: +44 1223 334761 Fax: +44 1223 334679