The Connecticut River has received millions of gallons of effluent.
This has happened before, thanks to our Massachusetts neighbors.
“The water is obviously a little higher.” Catfish like stinky stuff, so it could be helping them bite,” said Enfield resident Jasin Crowley, who caught a four-pound catfish while fishing in the river.
This week, Holyoke’s sewer systems spilled six million gallons of wastewater into the Connecticut River.
“Someone needs to do something!” According to Higganum resident John Bair,.
Bair has been outraged about it for years.
Some of Massachusetts’ sewer systems are over 100 years old, collecting sewage and stormwater in a single pipe.
When there is a storm, the plants cannot handle the excess rainwater and sewage. That overflow eventually reaches Connecticut, potentially poisoning the river with microorganisms. It happens frequently.
Bair claimed to have had many infections and procedures as a result of the river water, and he had lengthy meetings with the CDC about it.
“It can’t only be happening to me. It just cannot be.” My foot doctor won’t even let me in the water,” Bair explained.
Eyewitness News contacted the Connecticut Department of Energy and Environmental Protection (DEEP) about these concerns.
According to DEEP, when wastewater flows from MA to CT, it is unlikely that the overflows will directly affect people in CT.
According to DEEP, these spills occur in wet weather when rainwater runoff mixes with overflows, diluting them. The Connecticut River is a huge river with a good level of mixing and dilution.
But the people who sail, fish, and swim here don’t believe it.
It’s unclear when it’s safe to swim because they dump weekly, Bair said.
The EPA controls wastewater dumping in Massachusetts and is working with Holyoke to resolve the problem.
