A Battle Between a Great City and a Great Lake
nytimes.com
nytimes.com
In most parts we have two different drainage systems, one for rain water and one for sewage. All sewage is processed in treatment plants before it is released into open water. We don't use open water directly as drinking water. Either we use ground water or use river water that has been infiltrated into our dunes.
There are probably some things that the US could learn from this, but it will probably come with a very high cost.