How Are Sanitary Sewer Overflows Cleaned Up?

Weekly Discharge Report Summary 

For the week of 9/9/14 to 9/15/14, 27 Sewage Discharge Reports were received from 4 individual facilities, with a total reported volume of at least 230,000 gallons.

Sewage discharge reports received by DEC are posted to the Sewage Discharge Reports web page daily. The report can be downloaded as an Excel spreadsheet.

How Are Sanitary Sewer Overflows Cleaned Up?

The Sewage Pollution Right to Know (SPRTK) law requires notification of discharges of untreated or partially treated sewage within two hours of discovery to DEC and the Department of Health (DOH), and notification to the general public and adjoining municipalities within four hours. Information about discharges that reach surface waterbodies is posted daily on DEC's web site.

Sanitary Sewer Overflows (SSOs) are discharges of untreated sewage from separate sanitary and stormwater systems. Do you ever wonder how most of these sewage discharges are cleaned up? Depending on the cause, different containment and remedial actions must be taken. The following is a list of the most common causes of sanitary sewer overflows (SSOs):

• Fats, oils, and grease (FOG)
• Pipe blockages/tree roots
• Pipe breaks
• Infiltration and inflow (I&I)

For SSOs due to FOG or pipe blockages/tree roots, any overflowed/overflowing material must be collected using a vacuum truck. The area must also be contained using sand bags or other material to stop the flow of material on the ground. The section of pipe that is blocked with FOG or other debris must be flushed out to clear the blockage. After all material has been cleaned up and the blockage is cleared, the affected area on the ground must be treated with a disinfectant and/or absorbant material. When a pipe breaks, incoming flow must be diverted using a temporary pipe system, and any overflowed material cleaned up. The broken section must be replaced immediately. This can be accomplished using sliplining (a method in which new pipe is inserted into the old pipe), coating the pipe with sealant, or physically replacing the entire section of pipe. Finally, SSOs due to I&I must be dealt with more proactively. Typically, illegal connections to the sewer system msut be removed, pipes with insufficient capacity must be evaluated, and cracked pipes must be repaired or replaced.

Preventative measures for all types of SSO events include:

• Regular flushing of the sewer system
• Manhole cleaning
• Root cutting in sewer pipes
• Televising of sewer lines
• Educating sewer customers about proper maintenance and what not to put into the sewer

For more information on SSOs, their causes, and what's being done to address them, visit DEC's SSO webpage.

Combined Sewer Overflow (CSO) Wet Weather Advisory

DEC has a Google Map of the CSO locations in New York and a CSO Wet Weather Advisory web page. The purpose of the map and advisory is to help New Yorkers and their families make informed decisions before recreating on a waterbody.

CSO outfalls may discharge rainwater mixed with untreated sewage during or following rainfall or snowmelt events and may contain bacteria that can cause illness. DEC advises the public to avoid contact or recreation (swimming, boating, and fishing) in a waterbody with a CSO outfall during or after a rainfall or snowmelt event.