Did you know that heavy rain can make our rivers unsafe? It’s not because of rising or rushing water, but because of the amount of raw sewage in the water. Many cities in Pennsylvania struggle with combined sewer overflows (CSOs). In combined sewer systems, stormwater and sewage flow through the same pipes and are sent to a treatment plant. A CSO occurs when heavy rainfall overloads the system and causes raw sewage to be discharged into waterways.
A recent report by PennEnvironment about combined sewer overflows (CSOs) in Philadelphia found that, 12.7 billion gallons of untreated sewage were released billion gallons of untreated sewage was released into Philadelphia’s waterways each year between FY2016–FY2024. Multiple local waterways experienced 65 or more CSOs in a year, making those waterways unsafe for recreation for up to half of the year.
Much like Philadelphia, Harrisburg also struggles with combined sewer overflows (CSOs). Around 60 percent of the sewage lines in Harrisburg are combined sewer systems that dump raw sewage into the Susquehanna River during heavy rain…