Progress
MSD is working to reduce combined sewer overflows (CSOs) into our local rivers and streams, eliminate sanitary sewer overflows (SSOs), and address sewer backups into homes and businesses.
To date, MSD has reduced CSOs by about 8 billion gallons annually (from 14 billion to 6 billion gallons a year during a typical year of rain) and made significant improvements in eliminating SSOs. MSD has operated a Sewer Backup (SBU) Program for customers since 2004 to help mitigate the impacts of sewer backups caused by the public sewer.
We completed the first phase (Phase 1) of wet weather projects in 2021, completed a series of wet weather projects known as the Bridge Plan in summer 2024, and are working to complete Phase 2A projects by the end of 2024. Hamilton County is currently negotiating with the U.S. EPA on Phase 2B, our next set of wet weather projects.
Please see the information below, which includes an overview of progress to date, Consent Decree reports, and several dashboards.
CONSENT DECREE REPORTS
For detailed information on MSD's Wet Weather Program, including budget, schedule, performance metrics, potential project risks, etc., please view or download the reports below:
Consent Decree Quarterly Reports (select a report from the list below). Please see the appendices for specific information about Phase 1, the Bridge, and Phase 2A.
Consent Decree Annual Reports (select a report from the list below):
Other Reports and Plans (select a report from the list below):
CURRENT STATUS OF MSD CAPITAL PROJECTS
This database is a list of active MSD capital projects in planning, design, construction, final acceptance, or closeout under our Capital Improvement Program (CIP). This database is updated monthly.
You can sort (ascending/descending) each column of the database by clicking the small triangle underneath each header.
OVERVIEW OF PROGRESS ON WET WEATHER PROGRAM
SBU Program
The SBU program offers 24/7 reporting of sewer backups, investigation of sewer backups to determine whether they were caused by the MSD public sewer, cleaning services for eligible properties, reimbursement of damages for eligible properties, and protection from future sewer backups for eligible properties.
MSD issues a monthly program report that provides information on the number of sewer backup reports received each month, the number of properties served by the program, and dollars spent.
VIEW SBU PROGRAM REPORT (UPDATED MONTHLY)
Phase 1
During Phase 1, MSD completed about 150 wet weather projects ranging from sewer replacements and sewer separations to pump station eliminations and treatment plant upgrades. The largest project was the Lower Mill Creek Partial Remedy (LMCPR) which included 24 separate wet weather projects to reduce CSOs into the lower portion of the Mill Creek. The Lick Run Greenway in South Fairmount (internally listed as the Lick Run Valley Conveyance System) was the largest of these projects.
Phase 1 was completed at a cost of about $961 million (in 2006 dollars) and $1.08 billion in 2024 dollars. As the estimated cost of Phase 1 was $1.14 billion (in 2006 dollars), this phase came in under budget.
LIST OF PHASE 1 PROJECTS AND COST SUMMARY (INDICES 1-119)
Bridge Plan (2018 - 2024)
The Bridge Plan, which consisted of 26 wet weather projects, was completed in summer 2024. It included CSO eliminations, sewer separation, ipmrovements to the SSO 700 high-rate treatment facility, and pump station upgrades. The Bridge Plan was an interim phase of wet weather projects between the end of Phase 1 and the beginning of Phase 2A.
Information about the Bridge Plan can be found in the Consent Decree Quarterly Reports (found on this page) under Appendix A (Bridge).
Phase 2A (2023 - 2024)
Phase 2A was approved in August 2023 and includes the construction of three projects by the end of 2024: the Mill Creek WWTP Diversion Chamber (already completed), CSO 402-406 Regulators Improvements in Sayler Park (underway), and the Little Miami WWTP Standby Power project (underway).
It also includes design of two projects, a new influent pump station at the Mill Creek WWTP to serve a future enhanced high-rate treatment (EHRT) facility and planning for improvements to the East Branch Muddy Creek Interceptor and associated pump stations, which brings flows to the Muddy Creek plant in Sayler Park.
The status of Phase 2A can be found in the Consent Decree Quarterly Reports (found on this page) under Appendix A (Phase 2A).
Phase 2B
This phase is currently being negotiated with the U.S. EPA and other regulators.
OVERFLOW DASHBOARDS
Validated Overflow Occurrences (Discharges)
MSD reviews hundreds of monitored overflow points to confirm actual overflow occurrences at each outfall. This database includes all discharges, including CSOs, SSOs, and Non-Enumerated Overflows (NEOs), since November 2016 and all CSO discharges since 2010.
Click on a specific outfall to learn more or adjust the date range to narrow your search.
CSO Volumes
MSD reports all discharges from CSOs in its monthly Discharge Monitoring Reports submitted to the Ohio EPA. Since November 2023, MSD has used advanced data analysis tools to measure and categorize daily overflow volumes when the sewer system is under various conditions, such as: dry weather, wet weather, and flooded conditions.
Use the data filters to find information on specific CSOs.
Map Legend:
- WW OF: Wet Weather overflow volume reported within 24 hours of recorded rainfall in the contributing sewershed.
- DW OF: Dry Weather overflow volume reported with no recorded rainfall in the contributing sewershed.
- FL OF:Flooded overflow volume reported when local creek or river level is elevated and influencing the combined sewer system.
- AVAILABLE (%): Percentage of time that remote monitoring equipment was in service and reporting.
Note:
Overflow volumes for CSOs 005, 125, 482, and 487, which are located at real-time CSO control facilities, are not included in this dashboard. MSD is working to integrate them by early 2025. Their volumes are currently available in the Overflow Occurrences dashboard above; however, the total calculated overflow volume for each CSO event is divided equally over each day the event occurred.