The Massachusetts Water Resources Authority will hold a public meeting on Wednesday, December 5, at the Tynan Community School in South Boston, to kick off its South Boston Combined Sewer Overflow (CSO) Reassessment. The meeting will be held from 7:00 PM to 9:00 PM. The Tynan Community School is at 650 E. Fourth Street in South Boston.

The reassessment is required by state environmental officials because MWRA was not able to implement the previous CSO control plan. The new study will reexamine CSO discharges into North Dorchester Bay and Reserved Channel, which contribute to water quality problems and beach closings. The one-year study includes a new round of water quality testing and other activities to update technical information and planning assumptions. The study will also evaluate a series of CSO-control alternatives to determine the most appropriate approach to control these discharges.

The MWRA plans to use this kick-off meeting to inform the public about the study and to identify public concerns at this early planning stage. Because the potential methods to address the South Boston CSO problem could affect a broad area, MWRA is encouraging as many people as possible to attend the meeting. The study area includes most of South Boston, as well as the area between South Boston and the UMass/Boston campus.

For further information, call Jeff McLaughlin, MWRA Public Affairs at 617-788-1170.