Preventing illegal sewage discharge

Sewage discharge from illegal drainage pipes caused pervasive coastal and water pollution in the city of Santos, Brazil. The Santos Beaches Recovery Program was developed as a cooperative project between state and local governments and involved diverting contaminated water into sewage treatment plants and the elimination of illegal waste water drains. The elimination of illegal waste water drains was achieved by local university students who inspected over 31,000 properties for illegal drain pipes. The owner of the building would pay municipal fines if, after 15 days, the problem had not been corrected. The total program cost amounted to $195,000 USD. Cooperation between city and state level governments for sewage drainage proved to be crucial. Furthermore, local participation and involvement of the university community and other local organizations was imperative to build public support. By the end of the program, there was a 50% reduction in fecal coliform levels. Beaches were considered unsuitable for bathing only 32% of the time compared to 93% in 1989.