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Recent heavy rainfalls have caused wastewater to flow from Massachusetts into the Connecticut River. This wastewater “event” is known as a Combined Sewer Overflow (CSO).
A constituent has complained about the lack of information on this. I have been in contact with the Connecticut Dept. of Energy and Environmental Protection (DEEP) and am happy to provide some info and resources. Please note that gathering accurate information can take time. Also, the US Environmental Protection Agency, not the State of Connecticut or individual legislators, regulates CSO discharges in Massachusetts.
A few things to note:
1. Sewer runoffs are often caused by antiquated underground pipes which were built long ago and were not designed for today’s lifestyle habits. Replacing old pipes is very expensive; upgraded infrastructure projects are paid for, in part, by taxes.
2. Climate change has exacerbated these CSO discharges, and it has not escaped anyone’s notice that the Northeast has suffered increased rainfall intensity lately. If you are upset about increased climate chaos, I invite you to be part of the solution. Reject increasingly tedious narratives that climate change is a hoax, and instead, help legislators pass bills to address climate change.
3. I do not respond well to being baited on social media. If you have an issue, please give me the same courtesy I give all my constituents and reach out to me personally before publicly slamming my integrity or that of my colleagues in government.
Here is the requested information.
For general background and answers to frequently asked questions on Combined Sewer Overflows, please see the following FAQs.
Here is DEEP’s statement:
The Connecticut Department of Energy and Environmental Protection is aware of sewage discharges from the Holyoke, Massachusetts wastewater treatment system to the Connecticut River. These releases typically occur during periods of intense rainfall due to the presence of combined sewers. While most communities have separate collection and conveyance systems for sewage and stormwater, some older wastewater collection systems across the Northeast and the nation have systems that collect and convey both sewage and stormwater in one pipe (combined sewer systems). Combined sewer systems were designed and constructed in the past (i.e., often 100 years ago). These legacy systems discharge untreated sewage into waterbodies at points known as combined sewer overflows (CSOs). States burdened with these legacy systems work with municipalities to upgrade these systems to mitigate CSOs.
Publicly accessible and designated swimming areas or beaches are sampled by either the State of Connecticut or your local municipality to ensure swimming is safe.
To get alerts:
Connecticut has a statewide notification system for CSOs. Information regarding the CT Sewage Right-to-Know law, public information regarding sewage spills and bypasses, and combined sewer CSOs can be found HERE.
Additional Resources:
Water Quality Data Resources:
1. CT DEEP
For all swimming areas managed by DEEP (sampling occurs weekly from the period between Memorial Day and Labor Day): State Swimming Water Quality Report | Connecticut State Parks and Forests (ctparks.com)
2. Connecticut River Conservancy
Monitoring of the CT River from Vermont to Connecticut and providing info on recreational use of waters: https://connecticutriver.us/
3. Town Beaches – check your municipal website for information on sampling and closures.
4. USGS Monitoring (provides info on flows during dry and wet weather conditions and water quality information).
a. USGS Streamflow - click HERE.
b. USGS Water Quality - click HERE.
To view a map of CSOs - click HERE.
The first tab ‘Active CSO’ identifies when/where Combined Sewer Overflows are occurring (during wet weather) and the second tab “Bypass Event” identifies other bypasses (ie releases or spills) that are occurring (usually during dry weather) due to several factors (such as a broken pipe, malfunctioning equipment, etc.)
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