As the 20 year plus Boston Harbor Cleanup process winds down, a new set of negotiations is taking place to guide the next set of investments to reduce Combined Sewer Overflows (CSOs) in Alewife Brook, the Mystic River and the Charles River. Throughout this process, which is expected to continue for the next 12-18 months, MyRWA will keep our communities informed on the progress and opportunities for the public to weigh in.
In April of this year, the Massachusetts Water Resources Authority (MWRA), and the Cities of Somerville and Cambridge each submitted draft Scopes of Work to the Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) and the Massachusett Department of Environmental Protection (MassDEP) that will guide this planning. In response, MyRWA met with regulators and submitted comments on the application of future precipitation and climate scenarios in planning, the inclusion of a robust public participation process, consideration of the benefits of reducing nutrients, and the centering of environmental justice.
MyRWA is pleased to report that the EPA requested adjustments to the Scopes of Work to address the concerns raised by MyRWA and allied organizations, Save the Alewife Brook and the Charles River Watershed Association.
A very wet 2021 (58.1 in. of rain), with commensurately higher CSO discharges, has reminded us of the challenges of building infrastructure for a wetter future.
Stay tuned to see what scale of improvements we can secure for a healthy Alewife and Mystic.
Report on CSOs from 2021
Boston Globe Opinion by Patrick Herron, Executive Director of MyRWA, and Emily Norton, Executive Director of the Charles River Watershed Association
