When it rains, it poops. IM Western MA 70.3 - raw sewage discharged into CT River this past Wed

Triathlon Forum
1

I am signed up for this new 70.3 in Springfield MA. Up until last night I was very excited to do this race. I know the area a bit and live only 3 hours north so a nice easy drive for us. This will be my 12th 70.3 so not my first rodeo. And not my first river swim.

Last night a member of the race facebook group posted this article about raw sewage discharged into the CT river this past Wed due to recent heavy rains. I remember hearing about raw sewage being dumped into the CT River in this area back in the 1970s and 1980s. But this day and age, I figured this was a thing of the past and the river was much cleaner. And it is probably cleaner than the 1970s. But I recently learned from reading more articles that this is still a big issue for the CT River. Springfield, Holyoke and other towns have very old infrastructure when it comes to sewage systems. When it rains hard, the overflow gets discharged into the river along with actual raw sewage. It takes 48 hours for it all to clear out and the water levels to reach some sort of safety level.

So short story long, if it doesn’t rain 48 hours before the race on June 11, we should be OK. Otherwise it won’t pass water tests. What do others know about this? I know other rivers like the Hudson have had similar problems. Would you do this race in Springfield? Are there risks if the tests are borderline? Am I being a germaphobe? Not trying to cause panic or hype. Just genuinely concerned.

Swimming in the CT River in Downtown Springfield? It takes an Ironman - masslive.com

Most concerning part of the article:

Is the River Clean?
Although MassLive was told the river has been the cleanest it’s been in years, and, half-jokingly, that the swim portion of the triathlon is upstream from Bondi’s Island, there is a bit of cringy news that came out recently for anyone participating in the Ironman: 6 million of gallons of sewage was discharged into the Connecticut River after Wednesday’s rainstorm. The overflow is made up of rainwater, untreated sewage and waste, the Springfield Water and Sewer Commission reported
The commission named Springfield, West Springfield, Agawam and Longmeadow as affected communities.
At an overflow site just north of the Memorial Bridge, where the athletes will be swimming, about 3,834,507 gallons were discharged into the river. At another outflow site along Clinton Street – right near the train trestle, also where athletes will be swimming – an estimated 2,015,802 gallons were dumped. Near Rowland Street, up-river from the starting point of the swim portion, another 160,271 gallons ended up in the river.

2

Also signed up, but I live just south in CT. I’ve heard on/off about this kind of thing in the past. I’ve had multiple events in Philly on the schuylkill river canceled due to high bacteria content after the rain. I don’t remember if there was dumping, but definitely associated with significant rain. Also, I don’t believe Ironman makes the call, they are told by the city if it’s safe. I hope that means good things for safety… I hate duathlons though.

3

Just spit out the solid bits and you’ll be fine. :wink:

4

I raced Lubbock 70.3 2021 (in texas) the day after a really intense rain storm (basically destroyed t2 and had to be rebuilt the morning of the race). This storm washed all the prairie dog/cow poop and whatnot nearby into the lake hours before the swim. I didn’t know all this until after the race when tons of ppl in the fb group (including myself) started reporting GI distress in the days after the race. It got so many people “sick” that the Lubbock department of health opened an investigation and posted on the page for anyone who was sick to call to take a short survey of if they raced, where they are, and other activities they did the week of the race. As far as I know this investigation didn’t lead to anything meaningful but perhaps they started testing water quality pre race?

Long story short it sucked for a few days but we did all get better. It did not impact my race beyond having to swim through a bunch of debris that also emptied into the water that day at some point.

I’m not sure if this is an equivalent situation to CT but it’s my $.02

5

Open water swimming’s dirty secret (pun intended). I think it’s always a crap shoot (another one) swimming in open water. Who knows what the “real” water quality is. I’ve been swimming (races) in lakes and rivers most of my 30+ triathlon career and fortunately haven’t gotten sick from it (that I know of). I recall one race in Chicago in the '90 where it was raining and afterwards I saw on the news that it overflowed their septic system and raw sewage flowed into the lake the night before we swam. Midwestern lakes are the worst to swim in after a hard rain due to all the livestock crap flowing directly into them. There were several incidents in the '90s where swimmers got really sick due to that. I pool swim with a group who loves to swim in the local lakes during the summer. I pass on it and stick to the pool except for races. I liken it to stickin to the bike trainer. YMMV

6

If it’s 48 hours after the last rain, you’ll probably be fine. That’s the rule of thumb in Montreal, anyway.

7

It’s got an old wives tail quality to it, but one thing I’ve heard you can do is drink half a can of coke after a sketchy open water swim. So you could have that in t1. Other open water swim ideas include mouthwash in t1, and even take antibiotics the day before. I guess you could consult with your doctor about that last one. Obvious there are all kinds of thoughts and counsel about how or whether to take antibiotics as a prophylactic.

8

Not an uncommon issue in many urban waterways after very heavy rainstorms. The past several weeks, areas of MA have been inundated with rain, causing some systems to overflow. It’s one of those things that you need to play off the cuff in the days before an event. I’m still kinda surprised that IM chose Springfield, MA as a location. It’s easy to get to, but not a destination town.

9

I live here, and I’m not racing. I’m driving east and doing Patriot because they offer an Aquabike. I thought about finding relay partners, but then I saw the bike route. Please ride head’s up on the route. The poopy river was kind of a given. I’ve swum in the Deerfield and a part of the CT north of the city, but when I saw the start/finish, I just assumed the swim would not actually happen.

And Partiot traffic WAS terrible last year. There was a concept or game or something that had traffic backed up forever.

10

First you’re freakin’ out about Covid and now it’s raw sewage…I’d recommend a Xanax. A race is not a sojourn on the Zen plateau, if that’s what you’re after I’d suggest breakfast at Tiffany’s.

11

First you’re freakin’ out about Covid and now it’s raw sewage…I’d recommend a Xanax. A race is not a sojourn on the Zen plateau, if that’s what you’re after I’d suggest breakfast at Tiffany’s.

You seem nice.

It wouldn’t be ST without at least one shitty comment…lol pun intended.

It really is crazy of me to try and avoid Covid or other sicknesses 2 weeks before a full Ironman and not being thrilled about swimming in a river that has raw sewage discharged into it when it rains. Go shit all over someone else’s thread (the puns are too easy). Or just keep scrolling and move along.

12

Also signed up, but I live just south in CT. I’ve heard on/off about this kind of thing in the past. I’ve had multiple events in Philly on the schuylkill river canceled due to high bacteria content after the rain. I don’t remember if there was dumping, but definitely associated with significant rain. Also, I don’t believe Ironman makes the call, they are told by the city if it’s safe. I hope that means good things for safety… I hate duathlons though.

I really hope the weather cooperates and it stays dry. Then I’m not worried that much. I mean it can’t be too much worse than a public pool. And I would not want a duathlon either. I’d actually do better w/o the swim but I have worked hard all winter on my swim and do actually enjoy open water swimming. Fingers crossed!

13

I’m super nice, really :). But you’re a racer aren’t you. Take control of what you can and just suck it up. “Life is hard” right?!?

14

I’m super nice, really :). But you’re a racer aren’t you. Take control of what you can and just suck it up. “Life is hard” right?!?

My first thought reading your comment was “wow, what a huge, gigantic douche bag”. Maybe you’re nice in real life (I’ll have to take your word on that), but it never hurts to be kind online.

I’m going to swim in the gross river unless the swim in canceled. Just wondering about other people’s experiences in questionable open water. Don’t like the topic, then move on. Simple as that.

15

I’m super nice, really :). But you’re a racer aren’t you. Take control of what you can and just suck it up. “Life is hard” right?!?

My first thought reading your comment was “wow, what a huge, gigantic douche bag”. Maybe you’re nice in real life (I’ll have to take your word on that), but it never hurts to be kind online.

I’m going to swim in the gross river unless the swim in canceled. Just wondering about other people’s experiences in questionable open water. Don’t like the topic, then move on. Simple as that.

Hate to say it, but I’d agree on this one. You either suck it up and do it, or opt to not do the race. Races are typically challenging experiences, and inevitably there are gaps in safety, like it or not - you just prepare for it the best you can, which is what this thread is really about.

There is the option of calling or zoom-mtg with your doctor online, and explaining the situation and having him prescribe you and antibiotic that will likely cover the type of offending organisms you’d encounter in this situation, so you can pop that pill right after the race and hope for the best.

16

I’m super nice, really :). But you’re a racer aren’t you. Take control of what you can and just suck it up. “Life is hard” right?!?

My first thought reading your comment was “wow, what a huge, gigantic douche bag”. Maybe you’re nice in real life (I’ll have to take your word on that), but it never hurts to be kind online.

I’m going to swim in the gross river unless the swim in canceled. Just wondering about other people’s experiences in questionable open water. Don’t like the topic, then move on. Simple as that.

Hate to say it, but I’d agree on this one. You either suck it up and do it, or opt to not do the race. Races are typically challenging experiences, and inevitably there are gaps in safety, like it or not - you just prepare for it the best you can, which is what this thread is really about.

There is the option of calling or zoom-mtg with your doctor online, and explaining the situation and having him prescribe you and antibiotic that will likely cover the type of offending organisms you’d encounter in this situation, so you can pop that pill right after the race and hope for the best.

I actually never said I wasn’t doing the race due to the conditions. Just hoping to hear about other experiences with this type of situation. Sure I’m concerned and not thrilled to be swimming in a polluted river. My understanding was the CT River had been cleaned up since the 1970s when I signed up. It’s hard to believe all that raw sewage got dumped into the river last week. My bad for not digging deeper. Still not going to change my plans. In spite of the raw sewage, it looks like a great swim course if you watched the video in the link I posted. It’s probably going to be a stellar race if the weather cooperates and doesn’t rain.

It’s not a bad idea to ask my Doc about taking something to prevent illness. I like challenging experiences, just not fan of swimming in raw sewage :slight_smile:

Oddly enough, my husband (safety man) is not that concerned about it. I figured when I told him, he’d strongly discourage me from doing the race. He never wanted me to do those swims across Lake Champlain here in Vermont. It’s very polluted in some places.

17

It’s got an old wives tail quality to it, but one thing I’ve heard you can do is drink half a can of coke after a sketchy open water swim.

100% defo an old wives tale.
Coke is what, about pH 3.
Stomach acid is about pH 1.5-2. It’s a log scale, so the stomach acid is 10-30 times stronger. The can of coke is doing little - other than some re-hydration which is no bad thing.

18

I’m super nice, really :). But you’re a racer aren’t you. Take control of what you can and just suck it up. “Life is hard” right?!?

My first thought reading your comment was “wow, what a huge, gigantic douche bag”. Maybe you’re nice in real life (I’ll have to take your word on that), but it never hurts to be kind online.

I’m going to swim in the gross river unless the swim in canceled. Just wondering about other people’s experiences in questionable open water. Don’t like the topic, then move on. Simple as that.

Hate to say it, but I’d agree on this one. You either suck it up and do it, or opt to not do the race. Races are typically challenging experiences, and inevitably there are gaps in safety, like it or not - you just prepare for it the best you can, which is what this thread is really about.

There is the option of calling or zoom-mtg with your doctor online, and explaining the situation and having him prescribe you and antibiotic that will likely cover the type of offending organisms you’d encounter in this situation, so you can pop that pill right after the race and hope for the best.

I actually never said I wasn’t doing the race due to the conditions. Just hoping to hear about other experiences with this type of situation. Sure I’m concerned and not thrilled to be swimming in a polluted river. My understanding was the CT River had been cleaned up since the 1970s when I signed up. It’s hard to believe all that raw sewage got dumped into the river last week. My bad for not digging deeper. Still not going to change my plans. In spite of the raw sewage, it looks like a great swim course if you watched the video in the link I posted. It’s probably going to be a stellar race if the weather cooperates and doesn’t rain.

It’s not a bad idea to ask my Doc about taking something to prevent illness. I like challenging experiences, just not fan of swimming in raw sewage :slight_smile:

Oddly enough, my husband (safety man) is not that concerned about it. I figured when I told him, he’d strongly discourage me from doing the race. He never wanted me to do those swims across Lake Champlain here in Vermont. It’s very polluted in some places.

I’m in agreement with your husband.

There are going to be hundreds of people doing the same swim you are. If you get GI distress the days after the race, well, it’s after the race, and it’s ‘just’ GI distress (as annoying and gross as that is). There are a lot worse and more dangerous things to deal with in triathlon, so it seems his risk assessment is reasonable. If you’re in a work from home or even retired situation, it’s even less of a life disturbance.

19

Infectious disease guy here and NO, you should not take antibiotics as prophylaxis. That’s a terrible ideal and not evidence based. PLEASE DON’T ask your PCP for antibiotics.

Risk > benefits. At the low end of risk, antibiotics can cause GI distress, not something I’d want during race. If you do pick something up from race, I’d develop after and most will self resolve. Biggest concern would be those with compromised immune system.

What I can recommend, but practice first, is use bismuth subsalicylate aka pepto bismol. It has anti-viral and anti-bacterial properties. I use to run a travel clinic (medical advice for those traveling overseas) and always recommend it for travelers especial if they are more adventurous eaters.

20

Infectious disease guy here and NO, you should not take antibiotics as prophylaxis. That’s a terrible ideal and not evidence based. PLEASE DON’T ask your PCP for antibiotics.

Risk > benefits. At the low end of risk, antibiotics can cause GI distress, not something I’d want during race. If you do pick something up from race, I’d develop after and most will self resolve. Biggest concern would be those with compromised immune system.

What I can recommend, but practice first, is use bismuth subsalicylate aka pepto bismol. It has anti-viral and anti-bacterial properties. I use to run a travel clinic (medical advice for those traveling overseas) and always recommend it for travelers especial if they are more adventurous eaters.

How about abx AFTER the race - and only IF symptoms warrant?

I definitely wouldn’t want to be taking an abx before the race!

But yeah, if the infectious disease doc thinks abx aren’t even warranted in post-race GI mild distress, then sounds like you’re good to go.