The City of Peoria has issued a Combined Sewer Overflow Alert due to the weekend’s heavy rainfall.
According to Peoria Department of Public Works Communication Specialist Nick McMillion, Peoria has a well-documented sewer overflow issue. Whenever the area experiences substantial rain, sewage leaves the sewer system and enters the Illinois River. McMillion says this can lead to illness if anyone comes into full-body contact with water downstream from the Detweiller Marina.
“[The warning] will be lifted after [Monday], barring any other rainfall or precipitation,” said McMillion in a statement to WCBU. “The notification process starts after the last rainfall…event ends and is in place for 48 hours after.”
The notification process is required as part of a consent decree between Peoria and the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency, adopted by the City Council in 2020. The agreement includes a 18-year long plan costing upwards of $100 million in projects to get the sewer system’s overflow problem under control. Construction started in 2022 with the installation of permeable pavers and bump-out planters on Peoria’s near north side.
Most recently, the city finished designs for improvements to the Sanger Sewershed in South Peoria, covering an area near Manual High School.
The construction plan and consent decree followed 14 years of negotiations between the city and the EPA for Clean Water Act violations. It also included a $100,000 fine.
The city's sewage overflow issue primarily effects older areas, including the South Side, downtown and North Valley. Modern construction methods separate sewage and stormwater systems, but those built before the 1880's sent both types of waste into rivers.
More information on the city’s history with sewer overflow issues and the roadmap for improvements is on the city’s website, as required by the consent decree.
