Storm Ida Pushes Hundreds Of Millions Of Gallons Of Untreated Water Into Rivers And Streams

The view from the Meriden green as the Harbor Brook flooded the area because of Hurricane Ida. (Tony Spinelli/Connecticut Public)

Heavy rainfall from the remnants of Hurricane Ida caused massive stress on the state’s wastewater infrastructure. The National Weather Service reported more than 8 inches of rain in Stamford, Clinton, Uncasville, North Madison and Seymour. Elsewhere in the state, totals ranged from 3 inches to more than 7 inches of rain.

In many cities, stormwater goes into combined pipes that also take in household waste. When it rains a lot, all that water needs to flow somewhere. In order for it to not backup into homes and businesses, water officials across the state instead divert untreated stormwater and sewage into rivers and streams.

While the total amount of untreated water that got diverted was not immediately available, the state Department of Energy and Environmental Protection said Thursday that Ida could result in untreated runoff volumes that “could be up to hundreds of millions of gallons statewide.”

Click here for the full story from Connecticut Public Radio.