Cleaning the Hudson, One CSO at a Time

New Combined Sewer Overflow (CSO) abatement projects are helping to reduce the amount of solid waste entering the Hudson River.

Combined sewer overflows are remnants of the early infrastructure in many older cities. Combined sewer systems were built to collect both wastewater and stormwater, and many are still operating today. During dry weather, the combined sewers do not pose a problem and can effectively channel domestic and industrial waste to wastewater treatment plants. But during heavy rains, the sewers do not have the capacity to carry the combined rainwater and wastewater; therefore, a portion of the combined flow is discharged into area rivers. In both New York and New Jersey, there are several large CSO abatement projects underway, including three new projects in Hoboken, on the Hudson River. The Hoboken projects use "solid floatable chambers" to reduce or eliminate the visible solid waste that is often present in CSO discharges. The abatement facilities use the passive energy of the effluent stream to drive the floatable materials that are a half-inch and larger through a large metal grate. The grates can be cleaned after a heavy rain.

The Hudson Reporter, 2004