MWRA Plan to Continue Dumping Sewage in Boston’s Rivers Heads for Public Comment and DEP/EPA Review
Arlington, MA, May 1, 2026 — On April 30th, the Massachusetts Water Resources Authority (MWRA) and the Cities of Cambridge and Somerville submitted their draft Long Term Control Plan (LTCP) to address combined sewer overflows – intentional discharges of raw and partially treated sewage into local rivers and streams – for public comment. The plan also goes to the Massachusetts Department of Environmental Protection (DEP) and the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA). The agencies will review the plan and public comments, and approve a final plan that will likely take effect next year.
The plan falls short of what is necessary to achieve clean, swimmable rivers in Greater Boston and puts people at risk from sewage overflows into these heavily used rivers. For over a century, Boston Harbor and the rivers that flow into it have been contaminated by raw and partially treated sewage discharged during heavy rain through events called combined sewer overflows (CSOs). The MWRA was created, in part, to lead a decades-spanning effort to clean up the harbor and close CSO outfalls.
MWRA, Cambridge, and Somerville were initially given a deadline to submit the next LTCP by the end of 2025, but were granted a 120-day extension after public backlash in October against an initial draft plan that would have increased the amount of sewage entering the rivers relative to current conditions. The new plan only incrementally improves upon the previous one, still allowing for sewage discharges during heavy rainstorms.
“This is a regional issue that requires all of Greater Boston to buy in,” says Patrick Herron, Executive Director for the Mystic River Watershed Association. “We all benefit from clean rivers and streams, and we are all connected by this underground infrastructure. When the cost is spread out, it’s a small price to pay to realize the promise of clean, swimmable, boatable rivers.”
“We’ve seen what impact advocacy can have,” says Emily Norton, Executive Director for the Charles River Watershed Association. “People want a swimmable Charles, and they raised their voices last fall to help us get a better plan. But we need to keep pushing. We aren’t looking for half measures. We need to eliminate sewage pollution. It’s time to Cut the Crap!”
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Mystic River Watershed at a Glance
The 76-square-mile Mystic River Watershed stretches from Reading through the northern shoreline of Boston Harbor to Revere. An Anglicized version of the Pequot word missi-tuk (“large river with wind-and tide-driven waves”), it is now one of New England’s most densely populated, urbanized watersheds.
Its 21 municipalities are home to 600,000 residents, including many who are disproportionately vulnerable to extreme weather: environmental justice communities, new Americans, residents of color, elders, low-income residents and employees, people living with disabilities, and English-language learners.
The Mystic River Watershed Association (MyRWA) builds shared solutions so that all people, no matter who you are or where you live across the Mystic River Watershed, have safe and easy access to nature and a healthy environment. MyRWA believes that understanding the roots of current inequity, access to information, and opportunities to learn about the natural world empower us all to work together for a better future in the Mystic.
Charles River Watershed at a Glance
The Charles River, first known as Quinobequin by the Nipmuk, Wampanoag, and Massachusett Nations, flows from its source in Hopkinton and through twenty-three cities and towns along its meandering eighty-mile journey to meet the sea at Boston Harbor.
With over eighty brooks and streams, thirty-three lakes and ponds, and several major aquifers, the Charles River watershed encompasses 308 square miles of Massachusetts, 35 cities and towns, and is home to over one million people.
For over 60 years, Charles River Watershed Association has worked to protect, restore, and enhance the Charles River and its watershed through science, advocacy, and the law. We develop science-based strategies to increase resilience, protect public health, and promote environmental equity as we confront a changing climate.
For more information, contact:
Isaiah Johnson | Mystic River Watershed Association | isaiah.johnson@mysticriver.org
Carly Sherman | Charles River Watershed Association | csherman@crwa.org
