CRWA Urges Legislators To Eliminate Combined Sewer Overflows (Press Release)
FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE: June 17, 2025
Contact: Stefan Geller, Senior Communications Manager
Email: sgeller@crwa.org
BOSTON, MA – Joined by concerned residents dressed as poop emojis, members of Charles River Watershed Association (CRWA) testified before the Joint Committee on Environment and Natural Resources today, urging lawmakers to adopt critical legislation to eliminate combined sewer overflows (CSOs) in Massachusetts water bodies by 2050.
“The Clean Water Act of 1972 promised fishable, swimmable rivers by 1983. Yet today in 2025 we still cannot swim in the Charles River,” said CRWA Executive Director Emily Norton. “The Charles is cleaner than it was, but the work is not done and there is a real fear that the work has stalled and will remain stalled indefinitely, unless the MWRA, and the cities of Somerville and Cambridge get the message that they have to finish the job.”
CRWA requested the lawmakers report An Act to eliminate combined sewer overflows in Massachusetts waterways (H. 1046) favorably out of committee, a bill that would require any entity that owns or operates a combined sewer system to eliminate all CSOs into Massachusetts waterways by 2050, with interim targets.
In a combined sewer system, the same pipe carries rain from the streets and wastewater from homes and businesses. This system is workable in dry weather, but when it rains the system cannot handle the excess, and the overflow discharges into our rivers.
Tens of millions of gallons of raw and partially treated combined sewage enter Massachusetts waterways each year and that volume is growing thanks to climate change. Over the course of 2023 and 2024, the Charles River received over 100 million gallons of raw and partially treated combined sewage from 63 unique CSO activations. After CSOs, the river is considered unsafe for 48 hours. This means that through the two years, CSO activations directly restricted recreation on the river for roughly four months.
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Charles River Watershed Association’s mission is to protect, restore and enhance the Charles River and its watershed through science, advocacy, and the law. CRWA develops science-based strategies to increase resilience, protect public health, and promote environmental equity as we confront a changing climate.
