ACTION ALERT: Speak Directly With Officials About Their Plans to Eliminate CSOs!
On April 3, officials will listen to public comments on their plan to eliminate Combined Sewer Overflows in the Charles River.
The Mass. Water Resources Authority (MWRA) and the cities of Cambridge and Somerville are holding a listening session from 6 pm to 8 pm on Thursday, April 3, to hear public opinion on their efforts to address Combined Sewer Overflows (CSOs) in the Charles River.
If you care about stopping raw sewage from ending up in the river, we urge you to make your voice heard on April 3!
More information on MWRA/Cambridge/Somerville's work to address CSOs can be found here.
TALKING POINTS
If you are unsure what to say to MWRA/Cambridge/Somerville officials at the meeting, CRWA encourages you to discuss your personal connection to the Charles River and why it's important to you for CSOs to be eliminated.
CRWA has also drafted some talking points for the meeting in case you would like to make specific requests regarding the MWRA/Cambridge/Somerville plan:
"This is a once-in-a-generation opportunity to end sewage dumping into our rivers, we need to make the most of this opportunity and end this disgusting practice both for our health and safety and for future generations."
"Making infrastructure investments gives us a chance to help make our communities more resilient to climate change. Please consider multiple hybrid alternatives with very aggressive use of green stormwater infrastructure [as requested by CRWA]. This is a very low-cost solution compared to some of the other tools being explored."
"I request that MWRA, Cambridge and Somerville conduct a true cost-benefit analysis of their final alternatives that actually accounts for all the amazing co-benefits of green infrastructure, things like clean air and water and cooler temperatures. Any analysis that does not include the value of these benefits is inadequate and incomplete."
