The City of Syracuse, like many older cities, is served by a combined sewer system. Combined sewers mix both stormwater from streets and rooftops with sewage from homes and buildings in one pipe. While the capacity of the system is adequate for sewage loads, it cannot handle the volume when stormwater is added. Therefore, during a rainfall event, or when snow is melting, the sewage-stormwater mix will outflow at certain exit points (before reaching the sewage treatment plant) called combined sewer overflows (CSOs). These CSOs are located mostly along Onondaga Creek, and some at Harbor Brook. The result of these overflow events is raw sewage flowing downstream into Onondaga Lake.
Here you will find resources and information related to the litigation, abatement, and continuing compliance related to Onondaga County and Atlantic States Legal Foundation’s efforts to mitigate the effects of the CSO system in Syracuse, and improve the water quality of Onondaga Creek and Onondaga Lake.