 photo credit: Delaware River Keeper Network Last year, the Philadelphia Water Department released more than 12 billion gallons of raw sewage into the Delaware River through its Combined Sewer Overflow (CSO) system. To visualize how much pollution that is, imagine you started filling up Olympic sized swimming pools with all the sewage overflowing from Philadelphia’s pipes. You would need 18,000 of them to store all of that raw, untreated sewage. It points to a serious problem hiding in plain sight. CSO pollution threatens public health, harms wildlife, and affects the long-term health of the Delaware River and Bay.
Combined sewer overflows are systems that carry both sewage and stormwater in the same pipes. They were once considered a major improvement in city sanitation, especially in older cities like Philadelphia. But when heavy rain overwhelms these systems, the mix of stormwater and untreated sewage can overflow directly into nearby rivers and streams.
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 Along New Jersey’s Delaware Bay, restoring marshes and beaches isn’t just good for wildlife--it’s also a practical way to help protect nearby towns from flooding. The American Littoral Society’s Delaware Bayshore work is showing how investing in healthy coastal habitats can strengthen the shoreline, reduce risk, and support the communities that depend on a thriving bay.
On April 24, 2026, the New Jersey Association of Floodplain Managers visited the Delaware Bayshore to see these nature-based solutions firsthand. The group toured our breakwaters in the Northwest Reach from land and viewed our beach restoration work at Thompsons Beach from the A.J. Meerwald, a historic sailboat and New Jersey’s official tall ship. The Cumberland County Planning Department organized the trip to highlight the innovative approaches being used on the Bayshore—and to share examples that other coastal communities across the state can learn from. Spring Greening at Arverne East: Volunteers Install Native Plants in Far Rockaway preserve5/14/2026 In late April, the American Littoral Society has been busy getting dirt on our hands with a Spring native tree, shrub, and wildflower planting at the nature preserve in East Arverne, Far Rockaway. On hand to do the planting were 30 volunteers, the Littoral Society, and NYC Park Rangers. Thank you to the volunteers that came out and helped us beautify and enhance habitat at the preserve with the additional 50 plants in the ground! This continuing effort - led by the Littoral Society's Jamaica Bay Guardian Don Riepe - was coordinated in honor and memory of the late Cindy Goulder. Join us on Sunday, May 31st at 10am to volunteer on an additional planting that will take place here.
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