CSO Tour

How Priorities are Decided

Early on in CSO Task Force meetings held in 1998, it was noted that some of the 40 existing City of Wilmington CSOs may not pose any environmental or health problems. Though it would be ideal to eliminate all 40, this would also be the most expensive solution. The Task Force decided that when prioritizing they should consider the:

1. extent of the problem at each CSO
2. remediation necessary
3. cost estimate for such remediation
   

In addition, the City asked their consultant, Tetra Tech, to quantify overflows at each CSO outfall.

Though jurisdictional responsibility for maintaining CSO 27, 28 and 29 was initially unclear, the City committed to maintenance of all three. The Task Force adopted a modified EPA ranking system to analyze the following characteristics for each of the City’s 40 confirmed CSO:

• principal land use
• receiving water body
• principal water use
• whether or not there is direct/primary contact
• secondary contact
• potential for dry weather overflow
• river/stream/ditch
• aesthetics/floatables
• impacts on land use
• impacts on water quality
  

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