Heavy rain can cause untreated sewage to flow into Connecticut rivers and streams, making it unsafe for residents to swim, fish or boat for up to two days afterwards. That’s no secret. But getting that information out to the public in real time can be tricky.
“The current system isn’t perfect,” the Department of Energy and Environmental Protection said in a statement.
That’s why Connecticut is piloting a new program later this year that will send out real-time alerts via text or email, letting residents know when sewage spills have been reported.
At the moment, if residents want to find out about sewage spills, they can visit the state’s performance dashboard, narrowing the spills down by location, date and impacted bodies of water. Or they can visit the state’s social media account, CT Sewage Spills on X.
But the social media account isn’t getting a lot of eyeballs. Some posts have fewer than 100 views. And state officials say the current system doesn’t work for people who want push notifications when new spills are reported to the state.
The new system will take reports about sewage spills, submitted to DEEP by municipalities and sewer utilities, and move them to a new public-facing alert system.
Once the program is up and running, subscribers will be able to sign up for all the towns they want to get alerts from.
State officials say they’ll pilot the new program in the fall and have it available to the public by the end of the year.
The new alert system will cost the state $150,000 a year, according to DEEP.
Áine Pennello is a Report for America corps member, covering the environment and climate change for Connecticut Public
