Combined sewer overflows are a major source of pollution in the Charles and Mystic rivers and are becoming more frequent due to intense rainstorms caused by climate change. Photo: Shutterstock
September 8, 2026 (Boston, MA) – Clean water advocates gathered on the Charles River Esplanade on Tuesday for a rally demanding sewage-free rivers.
Combined sewer overflows (CSOs) are a major source of pollution in the Charles and Mystic rivers and are becoming more frequent due to intense rainstorms caused by climate change. The Massachusetts Water Resources Authority (MWRA) and the cities of Cambridge and Somerville are legally required to carry out an extensive CSO planning effort to address nine of the ten remaining CSO outfalls on the Charles, six outfalls along Alewife Brook – a tributary of the Mystic, and one outfall on the Mystic River mainstem.
The plan is open to public comment until October 30, after which it must be reviewed by the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) and then ultimately approved by the Massachusetts Department of Environmental Protection (DEP).
“More than a half-century has passed since the federal Clean Water Act was enacted, yet MWRA is releasing massive and increasing volumes of raw sewage right where residents live, work, and play along the Charles, Mystic, and Neponset,” said Brad Campbell, President of Conservation Law Foundation. “If we don’t act now, more extreme weather and bureaucratic foot-dragging will make the solutions we need more costly with each passing year.”
River advocates have long called for a more ambitious control plan, criticizing the current plan for continuing to allow sewage discharges on a semi-regular basis.
“I filed legislation to eliminate sewage discharges in all of our rivers across the Commonwealth, because it is shameful that over fifty years since passage of the Clean Water Act, we are still discharging raw sewage into our rivers,” said State Representative Greg Schwartz. “As a physician, I can attest that contact with polluted water is bad for human health. I am grateful to CRWA, MyRWA, STAB, CLF, and other water advocates for your work to raise awareness about this vital issue. It’s time to ‘Cut the Crap’!”
“People are shocked to learn we are still allowing sewage to be dumped into the Charles. Our residents have been promised a clean, healthy river for decades; it’s time to deliver just that,” said Emily Norton, Executive Director of Charles River Watershed Association. “We call on our regulators to tell the MWRA, no, you cannot continue to use the Charles as a toilet; you have to make the necessary investments to clean up your act.”
“The Clean Water Act didn’t promise clean water for some neighborhoods. It didn’t promise a sewage-free river only in wealthy zip codes. It promised fishable, swimmable, safe water for everyone,” said Patrick Herron, Executive Director of Mystic River Watershed Association. “It’s time to finish the job and modernize our infrastructure—for the Charles, for the Mystic, for Alewife Brook, and for every single person who relies on these rivers.”
“Sewage has no place in Massachusetts rivers,” said David McGlinchey, Executive Director of the Massachusetts Rivers Alliance. “We know how to solve this problem. What’s needed now is the commitment to do it, and that commitment will come when communities speak with one voice and demand action from decision makers. Together, we can make sewage-free rivers the standard across the Commonwealth.”
Experts are available for further comment.
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