MORE INFORMATION > MWRA CSO ANNUAL REPORT > Presentation: CSO Progress Update - PDF (04/2007) > EPA Press Release: The EPA gave the Charles River a “B+” at its annual Report Card event (04/17/07, outside link to EPA site).

This year marks a real turning point for the MWRA's CSO (combined sewer overflow) program.

Over the last few months, a number of important projects have been completed around Boston Harbor, including new storage and treatment facilities, optimization of existing facilities and massive sewer separation projects.

For the Charles River, completion of the Stony Brook Sewer Separation project has reduced CSO discharges from 22 times a year to 2 and reduced the volume by an additional 44 million gallons a year.

Through this $45 million project, managed by the Boston Water and Sewer Commission, 74,000 feet - nearly 14 miles of new storm drain were installed in parts of Roxbury and Jamaica Plain to reduce sewer overflows to the Charles River and to remove storm water from the sewer system.

Construction began in July 2000 and was completed on schedule in September 2006. Work was performed under three contracts managed by the Boston Water & Sewer Commission and funded by the MWRA.

The goal of the CSO program is to protect swimming beaches, shell fishing beds and other sensitive waters from overflows due to heavy rains. The Charles River has been one of the greatest beneficiaries of the program to date, with reductions in CSO discharges of over 90% in a typical year. By 2015, that will increase to 99%.

In addition to the Stony Brook project, three projects are in the works to make further CSO improvements at the Charles: Brookline Sewer Separation, Bulfinch Sewer Separation and the Brookline Connection, which will activate a dormant 54-inch pipeline under the river.

By 2015, MWRA is projected to spend over $850 million on CSO control projects [for details, see CSO Annual Report - PDF], in addition to the $3.8 billion already spent on the Boston Harbor Clean-up that has dramatically improved the health of the harbor and brought people back to Boston’s waterfront.

RECENTLY COMPLETED CSO CONTROL PROJECTS (2006-2007)
Total volume of CSO discharges reduced by 226.7 Million Gallons
STONY BROOK SEWER SEPARATION (CHARLES RIVER)
Removed stormwater runoff from neighborhood and MWRA sewers by installing 74,000 feet of new storm drains serving 609 acres in Jamaica Plain, Mission Hill and Roxbury. Completed: Sept. 2006. Cost: $45,056,000.	Total Reduction of CSO Volume: 99.7%
	Frequency of discharges
	Before project	22 times per year
	After project	2 times per year
	Volume of discharges
	Before project	44.5 million gallons/year
	After project	0.13 million gallons/year
SOUTH DORCHESTER BAY SEWER SEPARATION
Removed stormwater runoff from neighborhood and MWRA sewers by installing 136,000 feet (over 25 miles) of new storm drains serving 1,750 acres of Dorchester from Dorchester Bay to Washington St. and from Columbia Rd. to as far south as the Neponset River. Completed: Dec., 2006. Cost: $118,229,000.	Total Reduction of CSO Volume: 100%
	Frequency of discharges
	Before project	20 times per year
	After project	All discharges eliminated
	Volume of discharges
	Before project	30 million gallons/year
	After project	All discharges eliminated
FORT POINT CHANNEL SEWER SEPARATION
Removed stormwater runoff from neighborhood and MWRA sewers by installing 4,550 feet of new storm drains serving 55 acres in the Fort Point Channel area. Completed: March 2007. Cost: $7,675,000.	Total Reduction of CSO Volume: 100%
	Frequency of discharges
	Before project	9 times per year
	After project	0 times per year
	Volume of discharges
	Before project	3.0 million gallons/year
	After project	0.0 gallons/year
PRISON POINT FACILITY OPTIMIZATION
Minimizes treated CSO discharges to the Inner Harbor by optimizing the operation of existing facility gates and pumps to maximize in-system storage and convey more flow to Deer Island. Completed: March, 2007. Cost: $50,000.	Total Reduction of CSO Volume: 25.4%
	Frequency of discharges
	Before project	30 times per year
	After project	17 times per year
	Volume of discharges
	Before project	335 million gallons/year (treated)
	After project	250 million gallons/year (treated)
BOS019 CSO STORAGE CONDUIT- (LITTLE MYSTIC CHANNEL)
Construction of new facility to provide 670,000 gallons of off-line storage in double barrel 10’x17’ conduits installed between Chelsea St. and the Mystic Tobin Bridge, Charlestown. Completed: March 2007. Cost: $14,283,000	Total Reduction of CSO Volume: 86.4%
	Frequency of discharges
	Before project	13 times per year
	After project	2 times per year
	Volume of discharges
	Before project	4.4 million gallons/year
	After project	0.6 million gallons/year
UNION PARK DETENTION/TREATMENT FACILITY - (FORT POINT CHANNEL)
Construction of new facility, adjacent to existing BWSC pump station, to provide 2.2 million gallons of storage, and treatment of remaining discharges. Completed: April, 2007. Cost: $49,546,000.	Total Reduction of CSO Volume: 45.9% (100% treated)
	Frequency of discharges
	Before project	25 times per year (untreated)
	After project	17 times per year (treated)
	Volume of discharges
	Before project	132.0 million gallons/year (untreated)
	After project	71.4 million gallons/year (treated)

Back to top

# # #