I thought the river was cleaner than it used to be –what is its current status?
A. The Connecticut River was once called “the best landscaped sewer,” meaning that for all its outward beauty, it was still used as a dump for sewage and other waste. Today, due to improvements made after passage of the Clean Water Act in 1972, and stronger state water quality standards, the river’s water quality has improved. For response to the 1972 legislation, the MDC instituted a biological sewage treatment process to clean up the wastewater, and has increased the total treatment plant capacity for storm sewage flows. Nonetheless, while the river’s water quality has improved, combined sewer overflows persist, affecting more than 30 miles of the Connecticut River and other inland waters during, and after, most storm events.
