AGAWAM, MA (WGGB/WSHM) -- Heavy rain this week sent more than six million gallons of untreated wastewater into the Connecticut River, according to alerts issued by the Springfield Water and Sewer Commission.

Dozens of community members attended a public tour of the Springfield Regional Wastewater Treatment Plant, also known as Bondi’s Island, on Friday. Tiffany Sanchez of East Longmeadow brought her children to the 50-acre facility to learn more about how wastewater is treated. “If you have unsafe water to consume, you’re going to have some side effects from that,” Sanchez said.

Josh Schimmel, executive director of the Springfield Regional Wastewater Treatment Plant, said the public has a right to understand where their water comes from and where it goes. “People turn the sink on, but they have no idea where their water comes from. They flush the toilet, but they don’t know where it goes. These are really essential services and the folks behind the scenes that do this really dedicate their careers to public service,” he explained.

According to Schimmel, the Springfield Water and Sewer Commission has been working on its Combined Sewer Overflow (CSO) program for the last 30 to 35 years to address aging infrastructure. The commission has spent nearly $300 million to reduce overflows and improve monitoring. “We’re always continuing to improve upon whatever we can to clean the environment and discharge clean water,” Schimmel said.

Schimmel added water pollution sources also include stormwater and agricultural runoff, in addition to combined sewer overflow. Officials recommend staying out of the Connecticut River for at least two days following an overflow alert. The most recent heavy rain occurred three days ago.

Sanchez said the tour left her with a more positive view of the facility’s progress. “I was surprised pleasantly by all of the upgrades they’ve done to the facility over the years and the lack of odor that you would expect,” she noted.

Residents with questions or concerns about water quality can visit springfieldalerts.com/Suez.

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