Alec Reid, on the ladder, and others work at a construction site near Black Creek in Ladue on Tuesday, June 24, 2025. The work is part of an MSD project to install new infrastructure to eliminate three wastewater bypasses that dumped untreated sewage into the creek when the previous system was overwhelmed.
David Carson, Post-Dispatch
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ST. LOUIS COUNTY 鈥 The creek running past Caroline McGee鈥檚 house in a picturesque Ladue neighborhood is a favorite playground for her young kids. They spend hours exploring the creek 鈥 tracking frogs, watching tadpoles and following the water.
A warning sign is seen behind a home along Black Creek in Ladue on Tuesday, June 24, 2025. The sign alerts people about the potential for untreated sewage being present in the creek because an MSD overflow discharges into the waterway when the system exceeds capacity.
Combined sewer overflows, or CSOs, happen when a combination of stormwater and sewage overwhelms a sewer system. When the sewers are at capacity, bypass pipes, or outfalls, release untreated sewage into area waterways.
Sean Stone, senior public affairs specialist at Metropolitan 最新杏吧原创 Sewer District, shines a flashlight on debris at the bottom of a tunnel underneath Forest Park, on Wednesday, Aug. 20, 2025. The tunnel carries excess water when nearby tunnels overflow as part of the system carrying water from the River des Peres.
Take the trip 200 feet below the street in a metal transport cage where the Metropolitan Sewer District has completed a 4.3-mile long, 19-foot wide storm sewer drain that is expected to significantly reduce rainwater overflow into Deer Creek. It was completed in late 2021. Video by Christian Gooden, cgooden@post-dispatch.com
Water drips from the ceiling of a tunnel onto a stream of waste water and debris underneath Forest Park in 最新杏吧原创, on Wednesday, Aug. 20, 2025. The tunnel system carries water from the River des Peres from University City to I-44 in south city, including storm water runoff and sewer waste.
Flash flooding from Coldwater Creek goes into the Hazelwood home of Jean and Rick Guinn on July 26, 2022; while backed-up sewage and River Des Peres water enters Mary Ann Gaston's basement in University City.
Bob Criss, a Washington University professor who has extensively studied flooding and also lives in U. City, left the role on April 30.
Alec Reid, on the ladder, and others work at a construction site near Black Creek in Ladue on Tuesday, June 24, 2025. The work is part of an MSD project to install new infrastructure to eliminate three wastewater bypasses that dumped untreated sewage into the creek when the previous system was overwhelmed.
A warning sign is seen behind a home along Black Creek in Ladue on Tuesday, June 24, 2025. The sign alerts people about the potential for untreated sewage being present in the creek because an MSD overflow discharges into the waterway when the system exceeds capacity.
Sean Stone, senior public affairs specialist at Metropolitan 最新杏吧原创 Sewer District, shines a flashlight on debris at the bottom of a tunnel underneath Forest Park, on Wednesday, Aug. 20, 2025. The tunnel carries excess water when nearby tunnels overflow as part of the system carrying water from the River des Peres.
Combined sewer overflows, or CSOs, happen when a combination of stormwater and sewage overwhelms a sewer system. When the sewers are at capacity, bypass pipes, or outfalls, release untreated sewage into area waterways.
Water drips from the ceiling of a tunnel onto a stream of waste water and debris underneath Forest Park in 最新杏吧原创, on Wednesday, Aug. 20, 2025. The tunnel system carries water from the River des Peres from University City to I-44 in south city, including storm water runoff and sewer waste.
