I don’t know about you, but I love being able to access the Charles River here in Watertown. We have invested a lot in cleaning up our waterways, especially the Charles River and it shows. Many of us remember when you had to get a tetanus shot if you were exposed to the water. But we have waited a long time (since 1972!) for the MWRA to live up to its promise of a truly swimmable, fishable Charles River.
However, a recent proposal from the MWRA will betray this promise and replace it with certain pollution for many years to come. The main object in the way are the continued Combined Sewerage Overflows (CSOs) that are released into the river whenever we have serious rainstorms. Rainstorms are becoming more severe, dropping large amounts of water at a time and triggering these CSOs.
Right now the Charles is also under a no swimming mandate in some parts because of cyanobacteria in the river (from stormwater phosphorus runoff). A dog died in the river last week due to exposure to cyanobacteria. It’s serious stuff, folks. Eliminating CSOs will go a long way in preventing these increasingly frequent blooms.
The Charles River Watershed Association and other river advocacy groups are fighting a recent proposal from the MWRA to walk back their promises to eliminate CSOs with the Cut the Crap program. The cost is only a few dollars per household per month.
The MWRA is taking comments on their retrograde CSO proposal until July 30. Please take a few minutes to voice your opposition and advocate for a cleaner, healthier river. Use the following link: https://www.crwa.org/cutthecrap
Thanks,
Marcia Ciro
Watertown Resident