"Papa, can we go down to the harbor to take a stroll? It's a stupendous fall day," I suggested.
"It sure is, Liza. Just let me put my jacket on," replied my grandfather.

We drove down to the beach and pulled into a parking spot. Breathing in the fresh sea air, we
began our walk. I thought it was going to be a typical stroll, however, little did I know it would heavily
influence my future career.

"Papa, don't you just love the harbor? It's almost as if it's a jewel sparkling in the sun."

"Funny you should say that, my dear. It sure does, and it's all thanks to the MWRA."

"What is the MWRA, and what exactly did they do?" I asked.

"The MWRA is made up of forward-thinking, industrious people who worked extremely hard
to clean this harbor. In fact, I worked with the MWRA during some of that long process. The battle
for clean water started long before, however, in 1876, when the state legislature approved the
construction of the Boston Main Drainage, and Massachusetts obtained its first sewer system."

As my grandfather shared these details, I was confused. I knew Papa had been an engineer,
but he had never shared specifically what his work had accomplished.

"Their idea was working well. In 1919, however, sewage pollution forced the devastating
closing of several harbor clam beds. Luckily, in 1940, planners suggested the construction of treatment
plants at each of the harbor's three raw discharge locations: Moon Island, Nut Island, and Deer Island.
That was the beginning of a long and vital journey."

I had never thought about how our water and sewer systems weren't always as reliable as they
are now. Intrigued, I asked, "What happened next?" as we continued our walk.

Papa went on, "Eventually, in the 50s and 60s, the Nut Island and Deer Island treatment
plants were completed, which was very helpful because that halted the discharge of more than 10,000
gallons of pollution per day!"

But even that wasn't enough. Papa explained that as the population of Greater Boston
increased, so did the pollution of our harbor, "Think about it: all those people producing all that
waste. Where does it go? At one point, our great harbor was infamous for being, 'The Dirtiest Harbor
in America'."

Papa went to explain that all that changed because of the MWRA, which was founded in
1985. "That's who I worked for when your dad was in high school. The Boston Harbor Clean-Up
cost $3.8 billion, but it was worth every penny because how do you put a price on this?" he said as he
swept his arm across our view of the beach, sparkling water, and islands in the distance. "The project
was one of the greatest environmental achievements in the world, and now our harbor is known as a
Great American Jewel! I feel honored to have been a part of it."

"Wow, I'm in utter amazement, Papa," I exclaimed. Although their challenge was a difficult
one, the MWRA and its leaders overcame it with perseverance. I want to make a difference in this
world, too. I love science, and I now plan to go to college to be an environmental engineer."

"I'm so glad that you're following in my footsteps, Liza. Someday a little kid will be inspired by
your story about the MWRA and they'll want to make a change and help make the world a better
place, too."

*All facts in this story were obtained from the following website: http://www.mwra.com/