Sewage from pipes near Pa. Capitol, governor's mansion deluging river with E. coli: report

Untreated human waste is literally flowing from Pennsylvania’s capital into the Susquehanna River because of the city's antiquated combined sewer and stormwater system, says York-based Lower Susquehanna Riverkeeper Ted Evgeniadis.

He found off-the-charts levels of E. coli near popular Harrisburg river recreation spots during water testing this summer.

Evgeniadis collected 60 water samples for the Environmental Integrity Project from June 15 to July 31, and 29 violated state health standards. Lab testing showed that seven of the samples had E. coli at more than 10 times safe levels.

“Some of the test results we got back for E. coli actually surpassed the testable threshold for the lab we were using. When you get results back that are above and beyond what the lab can test for, that’s pretty concerning.”

These tests included samples from City Island Park beach and along the riverwalk just downstream from outfalls leading from the governor’s residence and the Capitol building office complex.

“The governor’s mansion, the state Capitol, whoever is utilizing those buildings and whatever waste is being discarded, is ending up in the river," Evgeniadis said. "It’s the same thing for any household or business in the city of Harrisburg, but we point out the governor’s mansion and the state Capitol because it’s our legislators that are letting it happen.”

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Evgeniadis and EIP officials said these discharges are a direct result of Harrisburg’s combined sewer and stormwater system. In a combined system, both wastewater and stormwater are discharged through the same pipes. When those pipes overflow during heavy storms, the untreated sewage is forced out into the Susquehanna.

“Out of all the cities in the Chesapeake Bay Watershed in Pennsylvania, Harrisburg has the most coming out into the river as far untreated wastewater,” Evgeniadis said.

York City has separate systems for wastewater and stormwater.

Water authority records show that the amount of human waste mixed with stormwater released into the Susquehanna increased from 789 million gallons in 2016 to 1.4 billion in 2018.

“There were days that we tested that the levels were lower, but there were plenty of wet and dry days that the levels were way above our limit,” Evgeniadis said. “We want people to go out on the river and recreate on the water, but when Harrisburg is dumping this much into the water, it’s a problem.”

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Capital Region Water, which operates the greater Harrisburg area’s water system and infrastructure, is proposing to charge Harrisburg area ratepayers $315 million over 20 years to improve the maintenance of the existing combined sewage and stormwater system and make some enhancements to it — such as upgrading a sewage pumping station, in addition to planting trees, building rain gardens and creating other “green infrastructure” projects in an attempt to absorb stormwater. The water authority projects that these efforts might reduce the amount of raw sewage mixed with stormwater pouring into the river by perhaps 60 percent, but not stop it.

"We fully acknowledge the challenges we have with water quality and aging infrastructure," Capital Region Water spokeswoman Tanya Dierolf said. "We’re also looking to do what’s most advantageous to the city itself as far as being affordable to residents. But we are moving forward with a plan and potential solution.”

In other cities that have combined systems, such as Scranton, Williamsport and Washington, D.C., authorities have built underground storage tunnels or tanks to temporarily hold excess stormwater mixed with sewage during rainstorms until it can be properly treated. Such tunnels are not currently planned in Harrisburg.

 “Capital Region Water certainly acknowledges the system that we have," Dierolf said. "We’re in the middle of a 90-day public comment period to get some feedback on a stormwater fee proposal and implementation plan."

Evgeniadis believes the planned upgrades in Harrisburg don’t do enough and fail to take climate change into account. Both Evgendias Capital Region Water believe the state could chip in to fix the problem.

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“No one is saying this is 100% the state’s responsibility. But the state does have to play a role as a financial partner to correct the problem,” Evgeniadis said. “This is the capital of our state we’re talking about, and the Susquehanna River runs right through it. Putting a Band-Aid over it isn’t enough.”

"We are appreciative of any assistance the commonwealth can and will provide,” Dierolf said. “We have a huge footprint here in Harrisburg by the commonwealth and other industries and government properties.”

Dierolf added that Capital Region Water is also aggressively pursuing PENNVEST funding. 

Read the entire report from the Environmental Integrity Project below:

Also of interest, a gallery of photos below: