Portions of the MDC sewer system are over 150 years old. When they were built, a single pipe carried both sewage and storm water. This Combined Sewer Overflow (CSO) system is now outdated and cannot handle the sewage volumes of the 21st century. When it rains or there is a significant snow melt, too much water gets into the sewers. Instead of following its intended path to the waste water treatment plant, the overflow goes directly into the Connecticut River and other area waterways.

How does this affect you?
Every year over 1 billion gallons overflows into rivers and streams in the greater Hartford region. Bacteria, floatables and other pollutants affect the public health, aquatic life and recreational use of these waters.

How do we plan to address this?
We have been working on improvements for the past 20 years, but much more needs to be done. The MDC is embarking on a 15-year reconstruction program that will bring the entire sewer system into compliance with federal requirements and will be able to keep up with needs of our evolving communities.

This website is designed to provide you with information on the Clean Water Project and keep you up to date on its progress as it affects your town.

Watch the Connecticut River Video (for broadband users only-54M)

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