COMBINED SEWER OVERFLOW
C.S.O.

Over the past twenty years, the City of McKeesport's waterways have greatly improved in quality. The effects of the intense industrialization, such as air and water pollution, have been greatly reduced. Today, we are focused on creating an environmentally sound city that can be proud of its diverse heritage as well as its progressive movements to keep Mckeesport beautiful. One of the concerns that The Municipal Authority of the City of McKeesport addresses today is the combined sewer overflow (CSO), that currently contributes to water pollution throughout all of Allegheny County.

The Problem
Everything you wash down the sink, flush down the toilet, and drop or wash into the sewer becomes a part of the sewage water that is treated before re-release into our environment. In Allegheny County, all these things go underground into the combined sewer system of pipes that carries the water to different treatment plants.

The combined sewer system in place in McKeesport was designed to carry both storm and rain water, as well as wastewater that travels from bathrooms, kitchens, washrooms, and basement drains, to your local treatment plant.

During storms or times when rainfall or snow melt fills the sewers, the combined sewer systems can overflow. Too much water may be entering the pipes, or the treatment plant may not be large enough to take in such a great amount of water and sewage. When this happens, the pipes leading to the treatment plants overflow, and this is called combined sewer overflow or CSO.

The CSO from the pipes is discharged directly into the rivers and creeks. Since the overflow is from a combined sewer system, more than just storm water is releases into the rivers and streams during CSOs. All the sewage that collects in the underground pipes combines with the rain water or snow melt. Raw sewage like untreated human waste and industrial waste from companies and businesses, as well as any trash that was dropped into drains or washed into the sewers, is also discharged directly into waterways.



Because CSOs can happen at almost anytime during the year when there are rainstorms or snow melts, they are a persistent problem for water pollution and public health. The residents of Allegheny county, including the residents of the City of McKeesport, are a part of approximately 43 million people that rely on combined sewer systems and deal with the challenge of managing the CSOs.

Current Response

In 1994, the CSO Control Policy was announced by the Environmental Protection Agency (EPA). One of the requirements of the policy is to alert the public of the existence and probable impact of CSOs. Therefore, different municipalities that have CSOs are experimenting with ways to decrease the problems overflows can cause. Here in McKeesport, different steps are taken every day to work towards maintaining a cleaner western Pennsylvania.

Whenever there is a possibility of an overflow, you will see bright orange CSO warning flags flying to alert you to a potential CSO problem. These orange flags will be raised when any of our three rivers may be affected by CSOs. When ALCOSAN notes that sewer water is being discharged directly into the rivers, the flags will go up in McKeesport to alert all those out on the river that somewhere along these waterways there is CSO discharge.



Residents of the City of McKeesport can see the orange CSO flag hoisted at two areas near the McKee's Point Marina when the Authority is experiencing a CSO. The first flag is located at the Municipal Authority of the City of McKeesport's property facing the McKee's Point Marina, near the McKeesport landing. The second flag is flown on the McKee's Point Marina flag pole. To see all the locations where CSO flags are displayed in Allegheny County, click here.

Along with this precautionary warning signal, other preventative measures exist. For example, McKeesport has implemented a special stenciling program. Under this program, a stencil is spray-painted on drainage areas that connect into the combined sewer system. Its purpose is to remind passersby that what they drop onto the street or pour into the drains can become a part of their water supply during CSOs. Look for these stencils along the streets of McKeesport to indicate areas where drainage connects into the network of pipes underground.







Other successful awareness programs are also in place to educate everyone about the occurrence and effects of CSOs. The Pittsburgh Voyager, a nonprofit, educational, floating classroom, takes students along the Mononogahela, Ohio, and Allegheny rivers. While on board, students ranging from 5 through 16 gain insight into the complexity and vulnerability of life in our rivers. The Voyager vessels now teach school students through hands-on experience about this complicated ecosystem.

This program stimulates awareness and ownership of our waterways and emphasizes the need for all of us to play a part in keeping our water clean. By educating our younger generation about the diversity of life in our waterways, we hope to encourage future participation and involvement in water quality protection. To learn more about the Pittsburgh Voyager program, click here.

Localized litter campaigns to clean up the streets also help the city in times of CSOs. If there is less or no litter on the streets, then less waste will be discharged into rivers and streams when rain or snow cause the sewer system to overflow. Curbside recycling efforts also help keep trash off the streets and, in turn, out of the water.



The City of McKeesport is also involved in improving the drains and sewers in the city. Unclogging drains with specialized trucks so that more water can flow freely underground and installing grates over drains (called catch basins) that connect with sewers keeps less trash from mixing with the sewage and water flow.



For the most part, CSOs cause unbalance for the river life that ranges from microscopic creatures to striped bass. They also dirty our waterways, creating a potential risk for those who wish to use the rivers for recreational purposes. It is not recommended that people with open cuts or sores, or immuno-compromised diseases, swim in the water while CSOs are in effect. While limiting direct contact with water during a CSO is strongly recommended, indirect contact such as boating is considered safe.



What You Can Do

Dealing with combined sewer overflows remains a challenge for us all, but there are many things we can do to assure that the water which does overflow directly into our waterways is cleaner. The first step is to realize that if you flush paints down your toilet, rinse chemicals down your sink, or let trash lay on the streets, it can all end up in our waterways. The less trash that is dumped on the streets, the less that will end up in the water.

The Municipal Authority of the City of McKeesport works hard to keep our water clean and we should do no less. There are simple tasks you can perform and practices you can make part of your daily routine that can make a difference!

Remember to observe CSO warnings indicated by orange CSO flags. Be conscious of what you rinse down the sink or down any pipes in your house. If it can be recycled or reused, do so. Participate in community cleanup projects to keep litter and trash off the streets, and encourage others to join in as well. Not only will picking up litter keep more waste out of our water in times of CSOs, it will also beautify our neighborhood.

If you live in an older house with driveway and roof drains that connect directly into your underground sewers, look into having your down spouts redirected so that they will empty rain and snow water onto the lawn. This change will keep less water from flooding the sewer systems during storms and heavy rainfall. All new houses must follow this drainage code.

You can work in league with the Municipal Authority of the City of McKeesport and all of Allegheny County to keep our water clean and our rivers a source of pride in western Pennsylvania!

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