For most of southeastern Connecticut, every flush of the toilet, drain of the shower and final rinse of the laundry is destined for the Thames River.
Between its beginnings in Norwich and its mouth in New London, the 16-mile estuary serves as the bottomless sink at the end of the plumbing systems for all or part of 13 communities. The five sewage treatment plants that serve these communities empty about 21 million gallons a day of wastewater into the river.
