Where Does Your Toilet Water Go? This LI Nonprofit Wants You To Know

GREAT SOUTH BAY, NY — Have you ever thought about where your toilet water ends up after a trip to the bathroom?

Wastewater, the end product which comes from daily living, bathing, toilet flushing, laundry, dishwashing, etc. in both residential and commercial sources, is Save the Great South Bay's Wednesday Word of the Week.

This stems from toilet flushing and goes outdated cesspools is the major contributor to nitrogen overload in the Great South Bay. Possible solutions to this problem are to connect sewers or replace cesspools with more efficient systems.

When nitrogen overload occurs in bodies of water, harmful algal blooms such as brown tide, red tide, and mahogany tide can occur, and can damage ecosystems.

"These tides are caused by nitrogen overload in the Great South Bay and decimate many forms of marine life and trigger beach and fishing closures," a spokesperson said.

Brown tide in particular has had particularly detrimental effects on the Peconic Bay ecosystem and the economy of eastern Long Island, according to Stony Brook University. During intense bloom conditions, densities of the brown tide organism can approach two million cells per milliliter.

"Outdated cesspools are the primary source of nitrogen pollution in the Bay," said a spokesperson. "Over 360,000 homes in Suffolk Country alone still use these systems."

Solutions to this issue include increasing the number of homes connected to sewers and/or updating outdated cesspools to clean water systems that help filter nitrogen before it hits our groundwater.

In an effort to educate readers about the Bay, Patch has partnered with nonprofit, Save the Great South Bay to create a "Word of The Week Wednesday" series. Each week, Patch will share a "Great South Bay" word, to hopefully create discussions amongst readers, and to provide a larger understanding of our environment.

To learn more about where your toilet water goes after a flush, or to learn how to help heal the Great South Bay, click here.