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Save the Alewife Brook

environmental health is community health

Document Category: MDC and DCR


TitleSummaryCategoriesLinkhf:doc_categories
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
MyWRA Alewife Brook Watershed Map

from Alewife Brook CSOs 101 course material thank you to Mystic River Watershed …

Arlington, Belmont, Cambridge, MDC and DCR, MyRWA, Somerville
arlington belmont cambridge mdc-and-dcr myrwa 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
1953 MDC Spy Pond Report

…

Arlington, Historical, MDC and DCR
arlington historical mdc-and-dcr
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
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
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
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
MDC’s 2003 Alewife Master Plan Map North

This is the MDC (rebranded as DCR) map of the Arlington and Somerville half of …

Arlington, MDC and DCR, Somerville
arlington mdc-and-dcr somerville
MDC 2003 Master Plan Map South

This is the Cambridge half of the MDC (rebranded DCR) 2003 Master Plan Map …

Arlington, Cambridge, Flooding, Green Infrastructure, MDC and DCR
arlington cambridge flooding green-infrastructure mdc-and-dcr

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