Yet as the sewer system expanded, many residents refused to hook up. They balked at the cost and believed their open cesspools were just fine, even though they could infect drinking water by leaking into streets, creeks and ponds. It got so bad that the city sanitary inspector sent threatening letters insisting that scofflaws hook up or risk even higher fees and fill in their cesspools under threat of having a lien placed on their homes.
The new underground sewers weren’t perfect, however. Their outflow contaminated beaches and large water sources like Lake Union, which, believe it or not, was once used for drinking water. Today, though, few complain about
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