Latest news with #MassachusettsWaterResourcesAuthority
Boston Globe
01-08-2025
- Climate
- Boston Globe
New initiatives aim to make Charles River and Mass. beaches more swimmable
It was the latest reminder that, each summer, dozens of beaches in Massachusetts close because of pollution from downpours that wash stormwater and sewage into swimming areas. This year, several new initiatives by advocacy groups and legislators are aiming to make the state's water bodies more swimmable. The Charles River Watershed Association has spearheaded a campaign called 'Cut the Crap' to address sewage connections to street-level stormwater systems, state legislators have filed bills to set targets to reduce discharges and eventually eliminate those connections, known as combined sewage overflows, while two municipalities are piloting a UV light system to kill bacteria on some of the state's most notoriously polluted beaches. Advertisement Portions of sewer systems in Massachusetts that were constructed in the late 1800s allow sewage from homes and businesses and stormwater runoff to move through the same pipes. Advertisement Back in 1987, there Neponset rivers, according to the Massachusetts Water Resources Authority; around 46 of these are still active, The MWRA has a long-term control plan for most active discharge sites. There are 10 locations along the Charles in Cambridge and Boston where sewage overflows are discharged during storms. 'That rain flushes out whatever's dripping from dumpsters, bacteria from city streets, and stuff from our pipe network,' said Max Rome, stormwater program manager at the Charles River Watershed Association. Heavy rain also draws pollution from areas upstream, such as the Watertown Dam, Rome said. Combined sewage overflows have long been an issue, but there is renewed energy around making public waterways in Massachusetts safer. The Charles River Watershed Association has been advocating for bills that would require municipalities and other operators to eliminate combined sewage overflows by December 2050. Rome said legislative action was needed to finally 'finish the job' because the federal Clean Water Act of 1972 largely encouraged incremental progress on eliminating pollution in rivers. For example, rather than eliminating all combined sewage overflows, MWRA's long-term control plans focus on reducing discharges below to meet minimum levels set in 1985. Of the MWRA's active discharge sites, there are six in particular that present 'significant challenges,' according to the agency's December report. Advertisement 'We're very worried about those six sites, especially in wet years because there's no clear plan,' Rome said. 'Legislative efforts would speed that up and clarify goals.' In June, advocates and members of the public testified at the State House in favor of a bill that would require municipalities and other operators to eliminate combined sewage overflows by December 2050. The bill, sponsored by Democratic State Representatives Greg Schwartz of Newton and David Rogers of Cambridge, would set more stringent reduction targets for combined sewage overflows within six months of becoming law. Mark Jacobson, vice president at Charles River Recreation, which rents paddle boats on the Charles and Mystic Rivers, said pollution from those overflows routinely shuts paddling for his customers. 'It'll look like a nice Saturday that's perfect for paddling, but the water quality is just not good enough,' Jacobson said. He's also worried about cyanobacteria blooms in the Charles. Excess phosphorus from stormwater runoff and warmer temperatures cause the blue-green algae to explode into a toxic 'bloom' that can cause skin rashes, irritation of the nose, eyes, and throat, gastrointestinal distress, dizziness, and even more serious problems. Warmer temperatures caused by climate change have made these blooms more frequent. Leticia Rojas of Boston took a selfie as she jumped into the water during sanctioned swimming in the Charles hosted by the Charles River Conservancy in 2017. Jessica Rinaldi/Globe Staff This year would have been the eighth iteration of City Splash, which was started by the Charles River Conservancy in 2013. Laura Jasinski, executive director of the Conservancy, said the cancellation offered an opportunity for people to learn and discuss the health of the river. She is pleased with the work so far to remove some sewage overflows along the Charles, but wants people to be more cognizant of how new construction contributes to the pollution problem. Jasinski is especially concerned about the Advertisement 'If we put down lots of pavement instead of more parkland in the I-90 project, there will be more pollutants in the river,' Jasinski said. Swimmers looking to cool off along the coast have had to make other plans, too. Constitution Beach in Boston and others in Winthrop and Swampscott were closed for swimming as of Tuesday, July 29, because of high levels of bacteria. The state's Department of Public Health provides an Some beaches in Boston and Lynn have a history of elevated bacteria levels. But the frequency and timing of closures of other beaches can fluctuate dramatically based on rainfall and environmental conditions, a DPH spokesperson said. The department tests the water at around 1100 public and semi-public beaches across the state for the bacteria Enterococci. At Donovans Beach in Winthrop, bacteria levels were more than 14 times the allowed limit as of the last test on July 23. In June, officials in Lynn and Swampscott began a three-month pilot program to use ultraviolet light to treat the water near King's Beach, one of the most frequently closed for high bacteria levels. Seawater is pumped through a system that exposes it to UV light to kill bacteria and then discharged back into the ocean. The water is Advertisement Swimming in unsafe waters can cause nausea, diarrhea, skin rashes, and ear aches, according to the Department of Health's website. The department tests water every two to three days for many beaches and closes beaches to swimmers when bacteria levels exceed the limit for two consecutive days. Beaches with a history of multi-day exceedances are required to close to swimmers after just one test result that exceeded the allowed limit. Angela Mathew can be reached at
Boston Globe
22-04-2025
- General
- Boston Globe
A swimmable Charles River? It's possible.
It doesn't have to be this way. Greater Boston could finally have a Charles River safe enough for swimming if it makes the necessary investments, as Portland did. Advertisement The city takes pride in the tremendous progress it has made toward a cleaner Boston Harbor and cleaner Charles River since the Standells sang about loving that 'Dirty Water' in 1966. Since the 1980s, thanks to the construction of the Deer Island Wastewater Treatment plant and billions of dollars in infrastructure upgrades, the amount of sewage going into the Charles has been markedly reduced. But the job is not done. There are still after every heavy rainstorm, thanks to the 19th-century infrastructure of 'combined' pipes carrying both household waste and rainwater. One potential solution to fixing the discharges is a massive underground tunnel below the Charles (up to 32 feet in diameter and four miles long) that would store sewage-laden storm water and then release it slowly to Deer Island, preventing the pipes and treatment plant from being overwhelmed and discharging sewage into the river. Advertisement This solution was proposed in January by the Massachusetts Water Resources Authority and the cities of Cambridge and Somerville, with a preliminary estimated cost of $1.4 billion to $2.3 billion. While such a price tag may give some pause, the cleanup of the Boston Harbor cost more than twice that — $5 billion — and was clearly worth the investment. According to a Large storage tunnels are a common approach to addressing combined sewer overflows, or CSOs. Portland built a huge tunnel (called the ' 'The completion of this project ensures that the shores of Boston Harbor will be among the cleanest urban beaches in the country, enhancing recreational opportunities for city residents and visitors alike,' then-governor Deval Patrick If that could be done for Boston Harbor beaches, why not for Charles River beaches? In addition, the city has an opportunity to cut construction costs and bring beauty to our neighborhoods by pairing a tunnel project with installations of 'green infrastructure' such as rain gardens, vegetated ditches called bioswales, and new trees. Such projects enable storm water to infiltrate the ground rather than sending it into an already full combined sewer pipe. This reduces the size of the tunnel needed, reducing construction costs and bringing natural features into our urban spaces. Advertisement As we celebrate Earth Day, Boston should recommit to reopening the beaches that once lined the Charles — Magazine Beach, Havey Beach, Charlesbank Beach, Gerry's Landing Beach, and more — so that as we face ever hotter summers, residents will be able to cool off with a jump into the refreshing, clean water of the Charles River.
Boston Globe
07-04-2025
- Climate
- Boston Globe
Puddles in the yard and you're probably thinking, ‘How can we possibly be in a drought?'
One thing about drought is that here in New England, we do not experience the same types of drought that they do in other parts of the country. Out in the western part of the country, droughts can last for multiple years, and where precipitation is already exponentially lower than what we see here, a lack of rainfall has a much more profound impact. Additionally, water is more of a premium in that part of the world. The latest drought conditions across the United States, according to the US Drought Monitor. Boston Globe Droughts can be divided into different categories: Meteorological drought , which is a significant deficit in precipitation as compared to average; hydrological drought , when streams, rivers, and reservoirs are significantly below average; and agricultural drought , often when topsoil levels become abnormally dry, impacting agricultural crops. It is highly unusual for droughts to last over multiple years in this part of the country. Even in the 1960s, when we did see repeated drought conditions for several years, eventually things returned to more normal, wet conditions. Advertisement Meteorologically, we have had significantly less precipitation since mid-August last year. This is the reason why the Advertisement Although recent rain has improved conditions, much of New England remains under a "moderate drought," according to the US Drought Monitor. Boston Globe If you look at the amount of precipitation that occurred since mid-August last year up until the first few days of April this year, a total of 122 years have been wetter, and we are the 33rd driest (2024-25). In other words, it's definitely been drier than average. It's not a record, but it's something that those who keep track of water management and other agricultural interests are keeping an eye on. The largest reservoir in the area is the Quabbin, which, along with the Wachusett Reservoir, supplies Boston's drinking water. Currently, the reservoir is well The droughts of the 1960s were far more impactful to the Quabbin Reservoir water supply than anything recently. Massachusetts Water Resources Authority If you're trying to start seedlings or other plants outside, the models are forecasting average to above-average precipitation into the middle of the month. While average precipitation may not move us out of the official drought status, it will keep things from getting any worse, and there's certainly adequate moisture in the ground for leaf emergence. Toward the end of the month and into May, as leaves begin to transpire water, the amount of moisture in the ground will Advertisement The gray area represents how much below normal precipitation has been over the past year in Boston. NOAA One thing I often think about is the fact that even in these drought years, most mature trees survive. Although there can be some dieback and certainly impact, even after the big drought in the 1960s, the landscape recovered. Nature is very resilient, and while it's valuable to know the current status of our moisture deficit, over the long term, precipitation tends to average out, and we just have to get through these dry spells. Immature plants like this pine succumbed to the dry fall and has died. Larger trees and shrubs can show dieback or death during the spring from the dry weather. Dave Epstein Finally, it is worth noting that the long-range climate models forecast that the Northeast will have more precipitation over time, not less. How that precipitation falls is changing. The fluctuations between dry and moist are becoming more dramatic, and this will require new approaches and new strategies in what could become a more challenging environment. May through July will likely see above-average precipitation across New England, according to NOAA's Climate Prediction Center. Boston Globe
Boston Globe
06-03-2025
- Business
- Boston Globe
A new ferry terminal on the Mystic? Boston, Everett officials team up to restore old pumping station.
'We're really excited about it,' said Patrick Herron, executive director of the Kathy Abbott, chief executive of the nonprofit The conversations around the pumphouse, currently owned by the Massachusetts Water Resources Authority, started a few years ago, long before state lawmakers approved legislation in November that rezones the adjacent site for a soccer stadium. That legislation removes the site next door, home to a shuttered power plant, from what's known as a Designated Port Area, where only marine industrial uses can be developed. However, per state officials, the legislation left the pumphouse property in the DPA. That could pose a challenge to any redevelopment of the site, although a ferry terminal would be an allowed use within the zone. Other challenges include the limited space for parking and a dilapidated seawall that needs to be shored up. Advertisement Herron said he expects state regulators would be willing to remove the site from the DPA because it's not currently home to an industrial use. (The MWRA stopped pumping at the facility in 1993, replacing it with a more modern facility across the street, though an active sewer pipe passes under one portion of the 1890s building.) Everett and Boston officials are also engaged in discussions about a harborwalk extension that would bring the path along the Mystic River In However, the Revs and Patriots ownership is not currently involved in the talks around the pumphouse's future. Advertisement Stacy Thompson, interim executive director at 'There's so much potential,' Thompson said. 'Could it be a ferry station or a landing point? Yes. Could it be something else that serves the community? Yes. We're not there yet [but] we're getting closer to understanding what's possible.' Jon Chesto can be reached at
