From 1985 to 2024, at least 8,612 overflows were reported in combined sewer systems in the United States. During this period, the Ohio River was the water body that received the highest number of overflows with almost 500 events. A combined sewer system collects rainwater, and domestic and industrial wastewater into one pipe, to later be transported to a treatment plant. When the capacity of these systems gets exceeded, untreated runoff flows to nearby waterbodies. In the U.S. combined sewers are mostly located in the Northeast.
Number of combined sewer overflows in the United States from 1985 to 2024, by water body
Only approximately 700 communities in the U.S. have combined sewer systems. Such communities are mostly located in the northeast and around the Great Lakes.
Statista calculated the figures based on the data available on the EPA website.
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Statista. (June 9, 2024). Number of combined sewer overflows in the United States from 1985 to 2024, by water body [Graph]. In Statista. Retrieved November 13, 2024, from https://www-statista-com.ezproxy.canberra.edu.au/statistics/1498909/number-combined-sewer-overflows-usa-by-water-body/
Statista. "Number of combined sewer overflows in the United States from 1985 to 2024, by water body." Chart. June 9, 2024. Statista. Accessed November 13, 2024. https://www-statista-com.ezproxy.canberra.edu.au/statistics/1498909/number-combined-sewer-overflows-usa-by-water-body/
Statista. (2024). Number of combined sewer overflows in the United States from 1985 to 2024, by water body. Statista. Statista Inc.. Accessed: November 13, 2024. https://www-statista-com.ezproxy.canberra.edu.au/statistics/1498909/number-combined-sewer-overflows-usa-by-water-body/
Statista. "Number of Combined Sewer Overflows in The United States from 1985 to 2024, by Water Body." Statista, Statista Inc., 9 Jun 2024, https://www-statista-com.ezproxy.canberra.edu.au/statistics/1498909/number-combined-sewer-overflows-usa-by-water-body/
Statista, Number of combined sewer overflows in the United States from 1985 to 2024, by water body Statista, https://www-statista-com.ezproxy.canberra.edu.au/statistics/1498909/number-combined-sewer-overflows-usa-by-water-body/ (last visited November 13, 2024)
Number of combined sewer overflows in the United States from 1985 to 2024, by water body [Graph], Statista, June 9, 2024. [Online]. Available: https://www-statista-com.ezproxy.canberra.edu.au/statistics/1498909/number-combined-sewer-overflows-usa-by-water-body/
