This year, the C&A Team is dressing as a combined sewer system and overflow (CSO) to raise awareness about water quality and the importance of sewer infrastructure investment for public health and safety. 

Combined sewer systems are a relic of past design practices that were not intended for for the population density and water quality standards of today. They are typically found in older cities, along large waterbodies that are navigable to support commerce. Most of the CSO permittees in the New York are clustered in older industrial areas, like Hudson NY. In these systems, both sanitary and stormwater runoff are combined in single sewer pipes that drain to the wastewater treatment plant in dry weather, and overflow at designated CSOs during rain events. Swimming, boating, and fishing are inadvisable in the days after CSO events due to water contamination with raw untreated sewage. 

To find more information, including how to sign up for alerts for overflow events, visit https://dec.ny.gov/environmental-protection/water/water-quality/combined-sewer-overflow

Communities all along the Hudson River are working to close their CSOs permanently through sewer separation projects where aging combined sewer pipes are excavated and replaced with separated sanitary and storm sewers. Some communities have already closed all their CSOs! This critical process requires investment, persistence, and patience on behalf of the community. Without significant investment into the city's aging sewers, new growth and developments have been and will continue to be stymied, exacerbating the community's housing crisis. Healthy sewers support healthy communities. Support your sewers!