Muddy Waters

NEWS AND OPINION > LETTERS

Add Comment | Comments: 0 | Posted Jul. 7, 2009

Muddy Waters 

Regarding Irina Zhorov’s recent article about the pollution of Monoshone Creek:  

Philadelphia has over 400 distinct street- runoff drainage networks that discharge into city streams when it rains or when snow and ice are melting. When streets are dry, these runoff tunnels should also be dry. The disgraceful truth is that many of these storm tunnels are continuously discharging human wastewater into our recreational streams all day every day. The stubborn refusal of Mayor Nutter to acknowledge and deal with this widespread pollution problem discredits his “Green City” claims. 

CHARLES PARSONS
President, Philadelphia Watershed Alliance

Great article on the sewage overflow problems. There are specific regulations under the Clean Water Act to cover these types of discharges. The City of Pittsburgh’s sewage plant (ALCOSAN) started on this same road in 1995. In the end, with federal EPA enforcement, penalties and repairs added up to $2 billion over a 20-year compliance period.  

ALEX JANSON
Philadelphia

Trans Pass 

Regarding Daniel Denvir’s article about SEPTA’s enforcement of gender-specific transpasses:  

During these confrontations with SEPTA drivers, why did none of the transgender people offer to show government ID from any state or country which would definitely have a gender designation on it? While SEPTA’s discriminatory policies and behavior are reprehensible, or at the very least negligent, the government already deals with enough controversy for mandating everyone choose one gender or the other. We might as well take advantage of one of the few benefits of such a rigid system.  

DOUG JAMIESON
Philadelphia

An additional example of SEPTA’s inexplicable fixation on irrelevant gender issues can be found on the passes it issues to seniors, who ride free on its system. For some reason, the passes issued to women are a bright yellow color and have a large F printed on them while the passes for men are blue and contain a large M. Why the F or M? The simple fact is that anyone who is 65 or older is entitled to ride free anywhere on the SEPTA system, regardless of gender. What’s going on here? 

BENJAMIN E. ZUCKERMAN
Rittenhouse