Holyoke officials respond to criticism regarding Connecticut River sewage overflow

HOLYOKE, Mass. (WWLP) – The ongoing issue of controlled sewage overflow (CSO) into the Connecticut River from Massachusetts towns is now drawing criticism from Connecticut lawmakers.

Holyoke is one of the cities working to address this legacy problem, having been transparent about its progress in reducing CSOs. However, Connecticut State Representative Tami Zawistowski has criticized multiple western Massachusetts cities and towns, including Holyoke, for contributing to sewage in the river.

“MDC is like a year away from completing a 300 million dollar project, it started in 2019,” Zawistowski said. “It’s time for Massachusetts to step up.”

Holyoke has been actively working to reduce CSOs since being given a consent decree. Mary Monahan, Interim Director of Holyoke Public Works, stated that the city is 70% towards its targeted CSO separation work, with a $10.5 million project currently underway.

Holyoke Mayor Joshua Garcia expressed frustration at the criticism, but also said it is creating publicity that can be good for the issue.

“I find this as a real opportunity to get the necessary support,” Mayor Garcia said. “Communities up and down the Connecticut River, both upstream and downstream, the support that they need, so that we can finally bring some aggressive resolution to address the environmental issue.”

Both Mayor Garcia and Mary Monahan have indicated their willingness to engage in discussions with Connecticut lawmakers to address the CSO issue specifically in Holyoke.

The dialogue between Massachusetts and Connecticut officials highlights the complexity of addressing environmental issues that span state lines. Holyoke’s proactive measures and openness to collaboration may pave the way for more comprehensive solutions to the CSO problem.

All facts in this report were gathered by journalists employed by WWLP. Artificial intelligence tools were used to reformat from a broadcast script into a news article for our website. This report was edited and fact-checked by WWLP staff before being published.