Springfield Water Commission Reports $300 Million Spent on CSO Abatement, More Needed

Town Board · Meeting of July 28, 2026

Springfield councilors grilled water commission officials on CSO discharges and drinking water quality at a joint committee session. At a July 28 joint meeting of the Sustainability and Environment Committee and Maintenance and Development Committee, Josh Schimmel of the Springfield Water and Sewer Commission told councilors the city discharged 9,436,140 gallons of combined sewer overflow into the Connecticut River last month and has spent approximately $300 million on abatement to date, with a current capital program that has grown from $550 million to roughly $750 million due to post-COVID inflation. On drinking water, Communications Manager Jamie Bartek and Schimmel confirmed the city remains out of compliance with haloacetic acid, or HAA5, standards but stressed "the water in Springfield is safe to drink" while a new treatment plant, expected online around 2028 or 2029, is under construction.

Schimmel argued that surrounding communities benefit from a cleaner Connecticut River without contributing to abatement costs, calling for a regional funding model: "To have a single entity like the Springfield Water and Sewer Commission and our customers pay to clean the entire river doesn't seem like a fair deal."

In the full story:

• Who Was There
• Organizations And Documents Referenced
• The complete report — 2,141 words

Source: the Town Board meeting of July 28, 2026, reported from the official video recording and transcript.