Hey, there! Log in / Register
Yesterday's rains mean some untreated sewage flowed into Boston Harbor
By adamg on Sun, 05/21/2023 - 10:12am
The Boston Public Health Commission reports that some raw sewage got into the inner harbor early this morning through combined sewer outflow pipes in East Boston and the South End:
Boston Water and Sewer Commission Outflow BOS003, located in the Inner Harbor, at Porter Street in East Boston, experienced an untreated overflow starting on May 20, starting at 11:40pm, creating a potential public health risk. This overflow ended at 1:55am on May 21st and this advisory will expire 48 hours after the overflow has ended. This event may potentially affect waters in Boston Inner Harbor.
Additionally, BWSC Outflow BOS070 located in the Fort Point Channel at Albany Street experienced an untreated overflow starting at on May 21st at 12:20am and ending at 3:25am on May 21st.
The commission adds that an MWRA outflow just upstream of the North Washington Street Bridge also poured some sewage into the harbor between 12:20 and 3:25 a.m., but that that sewage at least was treated first.
Neighborhoods:
Free tagging:
Ad:
Support Universal Hub
Help keep Universal Hub going. If you like what we're up to and want to help out, please consider a (completely non-deductible) contribution.
Comments
Raw Sewerage
I think of myself as reasonably informed on this. I have followed it since Judge Mazzone's ruling to clean up Boston Harbor (1985?). I even read the inserts in my water bill.
A nine-and-a-half-mile tunnel was built to hold untreated sewerage and prevent this from occurring. This tunnel cost four men their lives.
My one and only question is why is this still occurring? I think some remember President H.W. Bush made this a campaign issue in his run against Gov. Mike Dukakis for president in 1988.
I realize during a heavy and quick rainstorm, we will get a quick surge, but this is why the whole cleanup was done!
Combined Sewer Overflows
The problem is the combined sewer systems that are still permitted to operate, which lead to discharges from CSOs in the Mystic River, as well as off the North and South Shores. It doesn't necessarily ever get to Deer Island.
Sewer overflows during heavy rains still exist due to a lack of municipal separation of stormwater and sewage systems. Systems designed decades ago did not anticipate the current situation with a drastic increase in downpours since the 1950s. A heavy rain in communities where stormwater is combined with sewage will ultimately swamp the treatment plant at Deer Island if it isn't dumped in a river or offshore, resulting in raw sewage being pumped into the harbor like its 1979.
A recent law has forced cities, towns, and the MWRA to report and publicize these overflows - which will, of course, lead to improved impetus to fix the fuckers already! If stormwater capacity is improved to accommodate current and projected climate conditions and separated from sewers, there will no longer be an issue with rainfall overloading municipal sewers and Deer Island.
Decades ago?
Probably more like a century ago. Back in the days when the point of the sewage system was just to get the poop out of the streets or cesspools, and not really worry as much about where it ended up. Modern sewage treatment wasn't even developed until about a century ago, and one of the first sewage treatment plants was in Worcester. Really, one of the key reasons why Boston's sewer system before the current Deer Island plant was so inadequate was just that it was antiquated. They didn't treat ANY of the raw sewage going into the Atlantic until the 1950s. If you're not treating it anyway, why worry about the overflows -- especially if they keep the entire system from backing up into people's homes, which was still happening in the 1990s.
Centuries are made of decades
The most recent stormwater code revision was in 1961 - at least the most recent before climate resilience plans mandated an overhaul.
No, the key reason was that when the US EPA mandated that such antiquated systems be updated, the MDC ignored the mandate and didn't bother applying for the grant money that went along with the mandate. That's why, when a judge stepped in poop on a beach, the court required the formation of the MWRA and the MDC was forced to hand everything over, and the state and ratepayers had to foot the bill.
I’m no expert…
I’m definitely no expert, but isn’t the difference that untreated discharges used to be daily or very common, and not it’s only around once a year, after a severe downpour?
I imagine any design will have some capacity limits…
Yes, this is a good question!
Has it gone from commonplace to newsworthy?
Recent CSO legislation
Yes, this has been going on for a long time - but municipal CSOs only overflow during heavy rains. Many of the CSOs have been shut down - like all of them in the Charles River.
It has become newsworthy because 1) the legislature now requires that public notices be posted and discharges be reported through the media pretty much immediately (they used to be hidden in a spreadsheet at MWRA that was not frequently updated); and 2) the kinds of heavy downpours that trigger CSO releases have increased 53% in the region since the 1990s.
Because
Because separating storm sewers from wastewater sewers is a long, complex, and expensive process, that is ongoing but not finished yet.
Now THAT needs to be fixed
Now THAT needs to be fixed fast. Real sustainable for the environment. You wouldn't get in a pool if there was shit in it. What makes u think it's okay for sea life to have no choice but to perish in sewage and pollution? Enjoy your fucking lobster tail.
Cambridge issued a warning for Alewife Brook and Mystic River
Avoid Contact with Alewife Brook Through May 23 Due to Potential Harmful Bacteria and Other Pollutants, also applies to the lower Mystic River.
oops
Sorry - posted on wrong story