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Floating lavatory

Sewage not only harms fish, but humans as well. The release of raw sewage or poorly treated sewage can transmit waterborne diseases, such as typhoid, cholera, gastroenteritis, bacillary dysentery, and hepatitis through microorganisms from the human digestion system. People may also contract diseases by eating shellfish like scallops or oysters. Shellfish are filter feeders that ingest tiny food particles from the water through their gills, which goes directly to their stomachs. If sewage is present in the water, then the shellfish also ingest it. People then ingest the shellfish and can be tainted with fecal contaminants and disease. (Pictured is a floating lavatory at Broad Creek Marina at Hilton Head - courtesy Phillip Jones SCNDR)

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