Millions of gallons of raw sewage spill into Camden County’s waterways each year

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Raw sewage and polluted stormwater spilled into Camden County’s local waterways 76 days a year on average over the previous eight years, according to a new report.

That means local rivers are unsafe to kayak or fish in for more than half of each year, estimates the Environment New Jersey Research and Policy Center.

The lower Delaware River and Cooper River have been most impacted, according to the study, which analyzed combined sewer overflow days between 2016 and 2024.

Sewer authorities in Camden County don’t track the amount of sewage and stormwater released each year. However, the New Jersey Department of Environmental Protection provides an estimated baseline of 900 million gallons of total combined sewage overflow released by municipalities in Camden and Gloucester City.

“Combined sewer overflows carry all kinds of nasty bacteria, parasites and viruses,” said Luke Adams, a clean water associate of the Environment New Jersey Research and Policy Center, which published the report. “Our ability to use our waterways shouldn’t be held hostage by the threat of pollution every time it rains.”

Swimmable waterways have long been the goal of the federal Clean Water Act, which was passed in 1972.

But more than 50 years later, older industrial cities like Camden and Philadelphia have struggled to reach that level of cleanliness because of outdated sewer systems.

Unlike modern infrastructure, which utilizes separate piping systems, older sewer systems send stormwater and sewage through the same underground pipes.

During heavy rain, this combined sewer/stormwater system can overflow, spilling raw sewage into the region’s rivers and streams. The overflow can also mean flooding in nearby communities.

As of 2018, there were 30 active combined sewer outfalls located within Camden and Gloucester City, according to the New Jersey DEP. Overflows discharge into three receiving streams: the Delaware and Cooper rivers and Newton Creek.

Camden’s main waterways, the Cooper and the Delaware rivers, often contain fecal bacteria levels that make it unsafe for humans to swim, fish or even kayak in.

Prior to the Clean Water Act, the Delaware River between Trenton and Philadelphia supported virtually no aquatic life at all. More than 50 years ago, regulations requiring facilities to treat wastewater before discharging it changed what was once a “stinky, ugly mess” into a place where hundreds of thousands visit its urban shorelines each year.

Swimming and kayaking are now permitted in much of the Upper Delaware River, which is regulated by the Delaware River Basin Commission. However, for a 27-mile stretch along Camden and Philadelphia, the commission restricts residents to boating and fishing.

Swimming in waterways polluted with bacteria and viruses can cause health problems such as gastrointestinal illnesses, skin rashes and respiratory problems. About 90 million illnesses caused by swimming, boating and fishing in polluted waters are reported each year in the United States.

“Decisionmakers in Camden have a responsibility to safeguard public health and protect our shared waterways,” said Lucia Osbourn, program director at the American Littoral Society. “Recreational use of the Delaware River in Camden is already a reality for many residents, and we cannot continue to pollute the very waters our communities rely on.”

Federal regulations require municipalities to reduce 85% of stormwater and sewage overflow.

Progress has been made. For instance, the Camden County Municipal Utilities Authority, or CCMUA, is investing in infrastructure to divert millions of combined sewer discharges from the state’s waterways.

In an interview with WHYY News in May, Executive Director Scott Schreiber said that CCMUA is “fully committed” to restoring water quality to a level that allows people to recreate without getting sick.

In a statement, CCMUA spokesman Dan Keashen said the authority is in the process of designing or constructing more than $200 million worth of infrastructure projects to improve its stormwater and sewer system.

“We continue to improve and enhance water quality throughout Camden County, especially when it comes to correcting a combined sewer and stormwater system that is severely antiquated, he wrote in an email. “That said, bacteria levels and other contaminants have been dramatically reduced over the last 40 years in our regional water ways, especially in the Cooper River.”

The report also found that releases of raw sewage have declined over the years. However, environmentalists say more action is needed. The new report is calling on municipalities to track and disclose combined sewer overflows. Though Philadelphia reports combined sewer overflows, Camden County does not.

The report is also urging for increased funding for infrastructure projects, and recommends collecting a stormwater fee for properties based on the amount of generated stormwater runoff.

The CCMUA relies on the Environmental Protection Agency’s state revolving fund, which offers low-interest financing for water quality projects. However, the Trump administration has proposed to cut the U.S. agency’s spending by 65%, which some say could reduce state revolving fund dollars.

“Every parent in Camden County and the broader region should be able to take their kids out on the water without worrying about raw sewage levels in the water,” said Kevin Barfield, executive director of Camden for Clean Air.