As the Slog has shown, there are sewage problems all over the country. Nevertheless, I was shocked when I was in Mississippi recently and had some time to explore the sewage situation there.

My first stop was to investigate a sewage treatment plant near Jackson, MS. In the stream below the sewage treatment plant, I found a large buildup of sludge and no signs of anything living in the stream. The stream that was polluted by sewage actually feeds into a reservoir that is the water supply for the city of Jackson. Unfortunately, I don't think most people who live in the nearby subdivision have any idea what is happening. There certainly were no signs warning the public about the discharge or that it may be unsafe to swim.

On the same trip, I also noticed many private residences that were discharging sewage directly from their homes into a ditch in the front yard. In technical lingo, they call that a "straight pipe," which means rather than treating the sewage before it is discharged, it is piped straight into the nearest ditch or river. These straight pipes are a violation of the Clean Water Act, and a major problem in Mississippi.

Seeing all the sources of sewage pollution in just one small part of Mississippi makes me fear for the people who may unwittingly be wading, swimming, or even drinking water contaminated with sewage. When I was a kid, one of my favorite things to do on a hot summer day was to play around in the creek behind my house. I wonder how many kids may be playing in sewage.

Jeff Grimes is Assistant Director of the Water Resources Program for the Gulf Restoration Network, healthygulf.org