There is a similar post in the FB group for this race. A few people have gotten sick (GI distress and other symptoms). But I'd say 60% of replies are saying they are OK and didn't get sick. I seem to be OK. So sorry you are experiencing this.

I raced as well and the CT River seemed very clean and clear. Better than many tri swims I've done in the past. I was amazed at how nice the swim was while doing it. There was a raw sewage discharge due to heavy rain at the end of May. And it takes 48 hours for the sewage to clear out. But it's still possible the river wasn't as clean or safe as it should have been. (I'm no expert).

This shouldn't be a problem next year. Doing some research, I discovered there are projects underway to upgrade the old sewage infrastructure and there should be no or very minimal discharges in the future. Supposed to be completed in 2023. But it doesn't help anyone who got sick at this race.

FWIW, I got very sick the Monday night after a Sunday Ironman in Lake Placid in 2017. Diarrhea, vomiting and a high fever. It was really bad. But I recovered quickly.

Hope you feel better soon!

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Death is easy....peaceful. Life is harder.

I work in the environmental field.

there are always these projects in development, everywhere. the reality is that they often take a long long time to implement. between funding, construction, regulatory approvals, and actually getting them online... i didn't research the specific projects you reference - but if you saw simply press releases about funding, or "plans" to eliminate combined sewer overflows (CSO), it by no means they'd be implemented any time soon. unless they've announced they're complete and operational, i wouldn't assume anything would be done by next year. happy to be corrected if these projects are actually "done".

i think if people aren't aware, many would be surprised (shocked?) by how many wastewater discharges there are to our waterways, and the sources of those discharges. it's a reality of our developed world. CT river is large one with presumably good ability to flush and dilute itself so any raw discharges at the end of may with those rains would have been long cleared up by the time the race came around.

to the OP, hope you feel better! but i think the reality is that water quality will always be something to pay attention to with swims in developed areas, particularly rivers with industrial uses/urban areas on their shores. our waterways have come a long way (example, all the news now you see about whales/dolphins in/near NYC, this is becoming increasingly common), but the notion that a couple projects that are underway is going to eliminate this concern, i would respectfully say idk if that's a realistic expectation.

i would also say that visual clarity is not necessarily a good measure of overall quality, as you referenced. many rivers naturally take in tributaries that have sediment-laden (turbid) water, and this is a natural process. weather, topography, any tidal influence, flow velocity, plankton present, etc., can all influence clarity and it doesn't mean that the water doesn't have other contaminants present which can harm human health.

with all this said, if it worked for me i wouldn't hesitate to do this race due to water quality concerns. i would not do the NYC triathlon, the hudson in midtown is a bit much for me, but the CT river here seems plenty clean enough unless there's a monsoon the night before the race. i'm from the northeast and have spent lots of time in/around the CT river so i'm not just speculating from afar.