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Wet Weather Improvement Plan Consent Decree Sewer Overflows

Are Sewer Overflows a Problem in Other Cities?

The dots on the map mark cities across our country that use combined sewer systems to transport wastwater to their treatment facilities. (Click for larger view)Yes, many other cities are facing the same sewer problems that Cincinnati is facing.

Combined sewer systems serve roughly 772 communities containing about 40 million people, according to the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency. Most communities with combined sewer systems are located in the Northeast and Great Lakes regions and in the Pacific Northwest, as shown in the map on the right. Ohio has about 87 such communities, ranging from small, rural villages to large metropolitan areas like Columbus, Cleveland, Cincinnati and Toledo.

Sanitary sewer overflows affect every city with a sewer system, but especially those areas with older sewers that have deteriorated and aged over time.

Like Cincinnati, other cities are under government Consent Decrees to resolve their sewer overflow problems. Other cities include Columbus, Indianapolis, Toledo, Baltimore, Miami, Washington, D.C., New Orleans and Atlanta. Along the Ohio River, Pittsburgh, Louisville and Northern Kentucky are under similar orders to clean up their overflows.