Clean Water Current

USA Today published an article Dec. 1 exploring the potential impacts of climate change on combined sewer overflow (CSO) communities.  The article quotes NACWA and a number of NACWA utility members. 

The article highlights the increasing stresses that many CSO communities are facing as changing precipitation patterns drive more wet weather events, with a corresponding increase in overflow occurrences.  It notes that many communities pursuing CSO remediation efforts are using precipitation models and data from ten or twenty years ago that may not accurately reflect the realities of climate change or future precipitation patterns. 

However, the article also zeros in on the need for more federal funding to help utilities address CSO issues, noting that growing affordability challenges in many communities are placing disproportionate economic burdens on low-income residents. 

NACWA was interviewed a number of times over recent months as USA Today worked on its investigation, providing important insights and perspectives from the clean water utility perspective.