Quabbin & MWRA Water & Sewer

[JumboBuc]

Greater Boston benefits tremendously from the MWRA to an extent that I don't think people fully realize. If you told me that it's the best-managed public agency in the country I'd have no reason to disagree. We have clean, abundant, renewable, great-tasting water that is delivered efficiently and affordably and our sewage treatment infrastructure is truly world-class. Even the worst droughts we experience barely make a dent in the Quabbin. People don't get excited about this stuff, but it matters!

Cambridge's refusal to get on board makes no sense at all.

If only our transportation infrastructure was designed, built, and managed so well...

 

[Justbuildit]

100% agree! It's extremely boring but our water-in-water-out infrastructure with Deer Island has got to be the best integrated system in the country. Clean and abundant fresh water with very little pollution in what used to be a horribly polluted harbor.

 

[393b40]

It's nothing nefarious. They just can (and do) cite the 2010 Boston water emergency ad infinitum as reason for staying independent from the MWRA district. Cambridge was pretty much the only community inside of 128 that had drinkable water during the 4 days of the boil emergency that affected everybody else and gave the region a big economic hit. I remember it well. I was living in Cambridge at the time, and was pretty much the only person in my office who was able to shower that whole week.

Feels more like more of a reason to keep the reservoirs as backups rather than primary usage.

 

[Scott]

Cambridge doesn't get primarily get water from the MWRA but it's sewage is treated at Deer Island, and there is an effort to separate the storm drains from the sewers to minimize discharge during heavy rain events.

Combined Sewer Overflow Control Planning Program - Joint efforts by Cambridge, MWRA, and Somerville

About the project The City of Cambridge and the Massachusetts Water Resources Authority (MWRA) are collaborating to improve water quality in the Charles River, and are also collaborating with the city of Somerville to improve water quality in the Alewife Brook and

voice.somervillema.gov

 

[NHMaples]

Cambridge doesn't get primarily get water from the MWRA but it's sewage is treated at Deer Island, and there is an effort to separate the storm drains from the sewers to minimize discharge during heavy rain events.

Combined Sewer Overflow Control Planning Program - Joint efforts by Cambridge, MWRA, and Somerville

About the project The City of Cambridge and the Massachusetts Water Resources Authority (MWRA) are collaborating to improve water quality in the Charles River, and are also collaborating with the city of Somerville to improve water quality in the Alewife Brook and

voice.somervillema.gov

Last I heard from the Charles River Watershed Association was that what the MWRA is proposing will not fully separate the pipes for storm water from the pipes from sewerage and the overflow, although decreased, will still spill into the Charles. For decades ahead fecal matter will continue to end up in the river. Their proposed Long Term Control Plan would actually lower the standards to make a combined sewer overflow acceptable. The plan is being packaged like a great improvement, but in actuality it would lock in discharge into the river for longer than most well-informed people would care to imagine.

 

[Scott]

That's correct but the MWRA has to approve any plan and they are pushing back. I think there should be complete separation but it will an expensive project either way