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The amount of raw sewage discharged into public waters in Greater Cincinnati was higher than average last year, thanks to higher than average rainfall.

The Metropolitan Sewer District is starting construction on three anaerobic digesters at the Little Miami Wastewater Treatment Plant.

Customers will pay 3.75% more than this year.

If you've noticed a particular smell lately, and can't pin down the source, don’t automatically blame the dog.

The annual Great Ohio River Swim is scheduled for Sunday. And like the Seine in Paris, the Ohio River in Cincinnati has a combined sewer system, which is designed to send untreated sewage and stormwater into the river during heavy rain.

Over the past 20 years, MSD has confirmed nearly 8,000 sewer backups across the city were caused by the combined sewer system. About $28 million has been paid to homeowners to cover property damage caused by a sewer backup.

MSD serves most of Greater Cincinnati with sewer service, but separate entities are responsible for drinking water and storm water management. Is there a better option? See a transcript of this episode along with more photos and videos at wvxu.org/backedup. Find us online: @917WVXU @beccacostellonews @holdshelf

Hamilton County officials have submitted the Phase 2B plan for bringing the Metropolitan Sewer District of Greater Cincinnati into compliance with the Clean Water Act.

One of the biggest barriers to progress is, of course, money. The only source of funding for fixing these problems is sewer rates; advocates say the MSD rate structure puts unfair burden on residential customers, while big corporate customers get significant discounts. Plus, county officials are considering a brand new stormwater fee. See a transcript of this episode along with more photos and videos at wvxu.org/backedup. Find us online: @917WVXU @beccacostellonews @holdshelf

So if MSD isn't responsible for stormwater...who is? Backed Up looks into "green infrastructure" in Cincinnati, like the Lick Run Greenway, and why MSD doesn’t do more to keep stormwater out of the combined sewer system. See a transcript of this episode along with more photos and videos at wvxu.org/backedup. Find us online: @917WVXU @beccacostellonews @holdshelf