Document Category: EPA
| Title | Summary | Categories | Link | hf:doc_categories |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Second Stipulation from Harbor Court Case | Court Document from 03/15/2006. Includes chart of allowable discharges at each CSO outfall in Alewife … | CSOs, EPA, Legal, MWRA | csos epa legal mwra | |
| Harbor Court Case Second Stipulation, from 2006 | This is the Boston the Harbor Court Case’s 2006 “Second Stipulation,” which not only updates … | CSOs, EPA, Historical, Legal, MassDEP, MWRA | csos epa historical legal dep mwra | |
| Better Know a CSO | A Tour of the Alewife Brook Combined Sewer Outfalls From our CSOs 101 Course … | Arlington, Belmont, Cambridge, Climate Change, CSOs, EPA, Flooding | arlington belmont cambridge climate-change csos epa flooding | |
| Alewife Sewage Pollution Flooding | During heavy rainstorms, the Alewife Brook floods into the parks, yards, and houses of area residents in Environmental Justice Communities. The flood water contains hazardous sewage that is dumped into the Brook from the active Combined Sewer Overflows (CSOs) owned by Cambridge, Somerville, and the Massachusetts Water Resources Authority (MWRA). Climate change, with its wetter rainy seasons, more intense storms, and sea level rise, is expected to increase the severity and frequency of these events. MWRA’s sewer infrastructure is failing to meet capacity during many rains, causing hazardous sewage pollution discharges. In 2023, Alewife Brook flooded repeatedly, overtopping its banks and inundating the Greenway of Alewife Brook Reservation State Park with untreated Combined Sewer Overflow discharges of human and industrial waste. Area residents from Somerville, Cambridge, and Arlington unknowingly bicycled, jogged, and pushed baby strollers through untreated sewage flood water in their state park. The Alewife Greenway Path is a heavily used transportation and recreation corridor that runs through multiple Environmental Justice neighborhoods. The Alewife Greenway Path is on DCR land and it links Medford, Somerville, and Arlington pedestrians and cyclists to the Alewife Red Line T stop. | Arlington, Cambridge, Climate Change, CSOs, EPA, Flooding, MassDEP, MDC and DCR, MWRA, Somerville | arlington cambridge climate-change csos epa flooding dep mdc-and-dcr mwra somerville | |
| EPA Combined vs Separated Sewer System | In a combined sewer system, both wastewater and stormwater flow through the same pipes. In dry weather, all wastewater flows to a wastewater treatment plant where it is treated before being discharged to a waterbody. But during wet weather, stormwater also enters the system. The combined flow of wastewater and stormwater can overwhelm the system. Permitted outfalls are located throughout the system to act as relief points during wet weather. These outfalls discharge untreated or partially treated stormwater and wastewater into nearby waterbodies. These discharges are called CSOs. CSOs are a major water pollution and public health concern for approximately 700 communities in the United States. CSOs can contain bacteria, debris, and other hazardous substances that can be harmful to people, pets, and wildlife. CSOs can also cause beach closures, shellfish bed closures, algae growth, reduced oxygen levels in waterways, and aesthetic impacts from floating debris or oil slicks. The Clean Water Act requires communities with CSOs to put controls in place to address these concerns. | CSOs, EPA | csos epa | |
| MassDEP 2024 Draft Water Quality Variance to Allow for CSO discharges to Alewife Brook | This is MassDEP’s 2024 draft of the Water Quality Variance for Alewife Brook, which would … | Arlington, Belmont, Cambridge, CSOs, EPA, MassDEP, MWRA, Somerville | arlington belmont cambridge csos epa dep mwra somerville | |
| EPA response to Draft Scope, sent to MWRA | This is the EPA’s May 11, 2022, guidance for MWRA, regarding their new CSO control … | CSOs, EPA, Flooding, Green Infrastructure, MDC and DCR, MWRA, Stormwater | csos epa flooding green-infrastructure mdc-and-dcr mwra stormwater | |
| EPA response to Draft Scope, sent to Cambridge | This is the EPA’s guidance for Cambridge, regarding their new CSO control plan “draft … | Cambridge, Climate Change, CSOs, EPA, Flooding, Green Infrastructure, MDC and DCR, Stormwater | cambridge climate-change csos epa flooding green-infrastructure mdc-and-dcr stormwater | |
| EPA response to Draft Scope, sent to Somerville | This is the EPA’s response to Somerville’s new CSO control plan “draft … | Climate Change, CSOs, EPA, Green Infrastructure, MDC and DCR, Somerville, Stormwater | climate-change csos epa green-infrastructure mdc-and-dcr somerville stormwater | |
| March 2022 Letter to Regulators from StAB & Watershed Associations | March 11, 2022 Via email Regional Administrator David Cash Environmental Protection Agency, Region … | Climate Change, CSOs, EPA, Flooding, Green Infrastructure, MassDEP, MWRA | climate-change csos epa flooding green-infrastructure dep mwra | |
| MWRA Final CSO Performance Assessment Hearing Notification | Massachusetts Water Resources Authority PRESS RELEASE Date: January 6, 2022 Contact: Ria Convery (617) 788-1105, ria.convery@mwra.com … | Arlington, Cambridge, CSOs, EPA, Legal, MassDEP, MWRA, Somerville | arlington cambridge csos epa legal dep mwra somerville | |
| The Boston Harbor Cleanup by Paul F. Levy & Michael S. Connor, published in 1992 | New England Journal of Public Policy Volume 8 | Issue 2 Article 7 9-23-1992 The … | CSOs, EPA, Historical, MassDEP, MDC and DCR, MWRA | csos epa historical dep mdc-and-dcr mwra | |
| Somerville’s IDDE Stormwater MS4 Plan, June 2020 | Somerville’s top six worst stormwater outfalls discharge into the Alewife … | EPA, Somerville, Stormwater | epa somerville stormwater | |
| MWRA BIANNUAL COMPLIANCE AND PROGRESS REPORT AS OF JUNE 25, 2021 | CIVIL ACTION No. 85-0489-RGS UNITED STATES DISTRICT COURT for the DISTRICT OF MASSACHUSETTS UNITED STATES … | Cambridge, CSOs, EPA, Legal, MassDEP, MDC and DCR, MWRA, Somerville, Stormwater | cambridge csos epa legal dep mdc-and-dcr mwra somerville stormwater | |
| United States v. Metropolitan District Commission July 2021 | Civil Action 83-1614-RGS United States District Court, District of Massachusetts United States v. Metropolitan District … | Arlington, Cambridge, CSOs, EPA, Legal, MWRA, Somerville | arlington cambridge csos epa legal mwra somerville | |
| Court Case 2016 Document, including Compliance Order 239, USA v. MDC & CLF v. MDC | Doug Foy, Esq., director of the Conservation Law Foundation, who brought the groundbreaking Boston Harbor Clean-up lawsuit, probably quoting an ubran sociologist, said, “A great city had three characteristics: It had world-renown cultural and educational institutions. It had enduring distinctive residential neighborhoods, and it had a body of water that it embraced.” | Cambridge, Climate Change, CSOs, EPA, Green Infrastructure, Legal, MassDEP, MDC and DCR, MWRA, Somerville | cambridge climate-change csos epa green-infrastructure legal dep mdc-and-dcr mwra somerville | |
| Somerville’s 2020 Stormwater Management Plan | This document outlines the stormwater management practices that are currently in place and ones that … | EPA, Legal, Somerville, Stormwater | epa legal somerville stormwater | |
| CRWA MyRWA 2021 Letter re US v MDC | 2021 Letter from the Charles River Watershed Association and the Mystic River Watershed Association to … | CSOs, EPA, Green Infrastructure, Legal, MDC and DCR, MWRA | csos epa green-infrastructure legal mdc-and-dcr mwra | |
| EPA’s Approval of the CSO Variance Permit to Pollute the Alewife Brook | … | EPA, Legal | epa legal |