2026-09-17 - CSO Control Plan Public Hearing 1

00:00Okay, we're going to go ahead and get

00:02started. Welcome to those online.

00:05Welcome to those in person with us here

00:07at Cambridge City Hall. Thank you for

00:09being here. Um, this is the first of

00:11three public hearings on the draft

00:13updated combined sewer overflow control

00:16plan. Um, we have people in person and

00:19on Zoom. Welcome to all of you. Um, I'm

00:22Abby Fulham. I'm a facilitator at the

00:23Consensus Building Institute. We're a

00:25nonprofit that's based in uh Porter

00:27Square in Cambridge. And I'm joined here

00:30tonight with my uh co-f facilitator Ona

00:32Ferguson. We have Micah Seagull who's

00:34helping with tech and RT Hall's by the

00:37door helping with signup sheets. So if

00:38you need help with tech, find Micah. And

00:40if you need help with signing up, um

00:42find RT

00:45slide. Thank you. Okay, so tonight's

00:50hearing is mainly an opportunity to

00:52provide public comment on this draft

00:54plan. Um we will uh and that public

00:58comment is going to be transcribed and

01:00entered into the public record. Um we

01:03will start with a bit of information

01:05about where we are in the process for

01:07those that are newer. Um we'll share how

01:09to learn more. There's a lot of

01:10information available on this draft

01:12plan. So we'll hear a little bit about

01:14where to find that and then we'll share

01:16how to comment. There are many ways to

01:17comment. This is one of them. Um but we

01:19want to make people aware of all of

01:20them. We'll then open for we'll talk

01:23about how to give public comment tonight

01:25and then we'll open for public comment.

01:26Um we have allocated two minutes for

01:28everyone that wants to speak this

01:30evening. Um if you have longer than two

01:32minutes of public comment there are many

01:34written ways to give that so we'll we'll

01:36detail that soon. Um we just on the

01:40agenda here will open up for public

01:42comment and we will take all public

01:44comment once everyone who has had their

01:46two minutes who wants to speak then we

01:48will adjourn. Um, we're not going to

01:50take formal breaks and so if you need to

01:52go to the bathroom or grab water, please

01:55do that. If you go leave this room, walk

01:58all the way across the building and turn

02:00right, you'll find the bathrooms and

02:02water fountains. Um, feel free to

02:04rotate. This is being recorded, so it

02:06can be transcribed, but that also means

02:08you'll be able to watch uh comments

02:10later. Um, we'll also have some staff

02:12rotation in case we're here for a long

02:14time. So you might see some of us move

02:16or change or swap out, but again, all

02:18public comments will be transcribed and

02:20entered into the public record and

02:22continued or and considered.

02:24Okay,

02:26I'm going to turn to Luchica Hiller

02:28who's the CSO program manager for the

02:30city of Cambridge to talk through where

02:32we are in the process, how to learn

02:33more, and how to comment.

02:36>> Thank you, and again, welcome everybody

02:38to the first hearing on the draft

02:40updated Cso control plan. This is a plan

02:44that was jointly developed by and

02:46submitted um together with the city of

02:49Somerville and the MWRA.

02:52In the room tonight, for people who are

02:54curious, we have uh representatives from

02:57all three partners. I will start with

03:00the MWRA. We have Kathy Mard here. She's

03:04the chief operating officer at MWRA.

03:08Jeremy Hall, the project the program

03:10manager for the cso control plan. We

03:13also have Rich Re the director of AM

03:16with Somerville along with um Gina

03:20Cortezi the deputy director of

03:23engineering projects and Stephanie

03:25Alamina the storm water program manager.

03:28Um

03:30others in the project uh team we will

03:34will review the tonight's comments

03:36carefully. So, um, just because they're

03:39not here doesn't mean they're not

03:41listening.

03:43In the next slide, you'll see sort of a

03:45little bit of of the work we've done and

03:48the timeline. We started working on this

03:50in 2022.

03:52Uh, the goal is was to identify projects

03:55to reduce combined swarova flows into

03:57the Elwife Brook, the Mystic River, and

04:00the Charles River. Um, this was, as you

04:03can see, a multi-year plan. It's been

04:05almost 5 years. We've had seven public

04:08meetings, a lot of additional other

04:11work. The draft report was made

04:14available April 30th of 2026. And this

04:18right now we're in the sixmonth public

04:20comment period.

04:22Um, we encourage you to look at the

04:24recordings from these years of work

04:26before you submit additional comments or

04:29other comments. The final report will be

04:32released in 2027 followed by a state

04:35review. One thing to note uh again

04:39comments are due by the end of October

04:41and then D and EPA are taking an

04:44additional month to review the comments

04:47before they submit their comments to the

04:49partners.

04:54Yes. Oh, sorry. I said the 31st.

04:59also October 30th. Thank you, Ona.

05:04Um,

05:06if you want to learn more about the

05:07plan, we put on this next slide uh a

05:10couple of QR codes. You can read the

05:12draft and um any previous information

05:16that was posted there.

05:20In the next slide, we just want to

05:22remind people um that com public

05:25comments are accepted in three ways.

05:29No, four ways, sorry. You can submit

05:32comments in the online portal. There's a

05:34QR code and a link there. You can submit

05:36comments by email. Again, there's a QR

05:38code and the email address. You can even

05:41do it the oldfashioned way and write a

05:43letter and submit it to the address um

05:45that's down here, which is the MWRA

05:48office in at two Griffin Way in Chelsea,

05:51Massachusetts.

05:52Or you could do verbal public comments.

05:59This is still me. Okay. So, today is the

06:02first public hearing. Uh it's both like

06:05we said in person and virtual. The next

06:07public hearing will be September 24th,

06:102026 from 100 p.m. to 3 p.m. that well

06:15from 1:00 p.m. until

06:18we hear from the people. This is through

06:20Zoom. And then there's going to be a

06:21third public hearing. Again, it's going

06:24to be hybrid, both in person at

06:25Somerville City Hall and virtual. That

06:28will start at 6 p.m. And then Abby

06:32um will give you details about tonight.

06:39If you have questions outside of public

06:41comments, you can definitely email or

06:44contact us. But if you really want um

06:47want to submit public comments, please

06:49follow the four avenues that we've

06:51talked about. Thank you.

06:54>> Thanks, Lucha. Okay, so how is tonight

06:56going to work? Well, first of all, thank

06:59you for being here. We have about 38

07:01people online. So, thanks to the folks

07:03on Zoom and in person. It's really great

07:06to see so many people interested in such

07:07an important topic. Um, tonight we'll

07:10work, as I said at the top of this,

07:12we're going to give everyone who wants

07:13to comment two minutes. We're going to

07:15be pretty strict on the twominut limit

07:17so we're fair and consistent across

07:20people and across public hearings.

07:22Um, tonight as I said is a public

07:24hearing, an opportunity to verbally give

07:26comment into the public record, which

07:29means this is not an information sharing

07:31me meeting and this is not a Q&A

07:33opportunity. If however you want to

07:35learn more about the plan through

07:36presentations, there's a lot of recorded

07:38videos on the project website from past

07:41public meetings and we really encourage

07:42you to look through those. There are

07:44also opportunities to ask questions. Um

07:47I want to highlight one which is the the

07:51final of nine office hours that the

07:53project team has been offering which is

07:54going to be on October 6th in the

07:57evening. There's information on this on

07:58the project website as well.

08:02Okay. So two minutes we ask you to

08:04please help us kind of hold yourself to

08:06this and others so we can get through as

08:08many people who want to speak as we can.

08:10We are going to alternate between people

08:13online and in person in batches of five.

08:16So that means we're going to take five

08:18people with hands up that are on Zoom.

08:20Then we'll let we'll cue so you know

08:22who's coming next and then we'll have

08:24five people go in the room and we'll

08:26have you we'll ask that you line up on

08:27that bench behind you. We're just trying

08:29to minimize time between comments so we

08:31can do this very efficiently and get you

08:33home and to your families. [snorts] Um

08:36okay, as we said there's no fixed end

08:38time. We'll hear from everyone who wants

08:40to speak for one two-minut slot. Um and

08:43then importantly 2 minutes is not a lot

08:44of time. If you have more to say about

08:47this draft plan, boy would we like to

08:49hear it. And we really encourage you to

08:51submit written comment um with that

08:54information. Okay. So, how to get in the

08:56queue? So, if you are in person, you

08:59should have seen RT at the door and you

09:01can sign up on a comment sheet. Um can

09:04you raise your hand? Thank you.

09:06[laughter] Okay. And if you are online

09:08and you want to give comment, please

09:10raise your hand. We'll go in the order

09:12of hands raised. Keep your hand up. so

09:15we know to call on you until you have

09:16spoken. And then once it's your turn,

09:18we'll call on you. We'll promote you and

09:20then you'll have the opportunity to

09:21unmute yourself and turn on your camera

09:23and give your two minutes of comment. Um

09:26right now we cannot see or hear you.

09:28Just know that. Okay,

09:32next slide. This is just for a little

09:35more instruction for those on Zoom. You

09:36should see a little hand signal on the

09:38bottom of your screen. It might be in

09:39the reactions button. If you're calling

09:42in, um, dial star9 to to raise or lower

09:46your hand and then you'll have to hit

09:47star six to mute or unmute. Okay.

09:53All right. Again, if you want to leave a

09:55written comment today, we actually have

09:57a laptop set up in the back with RT. So,

10:00there's an opportunity to use that

10:02laptop and submit your written comment.

10:04Um, or you can do it on your phone by

10:06using this QR code, which directs you

10:07right to the comment page.

10:12Okay. And then one final reminder and

10:14guidelines here. Again, two minutes. We

10:16will be pretty firm on this. Um, we will

10:18have a big timer up on screen with a

10:20two-minute countdown. Um, and we ask

10:23that you I think this is needed for the

10:24public record that you share your name,

10:26your town, and your affiliation if

10:29relevant, and then your comment. So, we

10:31might stop to remind you, name, town,

10:33affiliation if relevant. There's a

10:35little sign on the podium that says

10:37that, too. So, we'll need that for the

10:38record. Um, please be respectful. We're

10:41looking forward to hearing what you have

10:42to say. Ona, anything I forgot?

10:46Okay. So, we're going to get started

10:48with folks online first. I think we're

10:51just going to do comment.

10:53>> So, we're going to start with folks

10:54online.

10:55>> So, we're going to do this in batches of

10:57>> Oh, you have to.

10:58>> Is it? Oh, we can't. We're going to do

11:01this in batches of five. So, we're going

11:04to start with the people who have put up

11:05their hands online. So far, there are

11:08four of you. If somebody else is itching

11:10to join, now is a great time. We're

11:13going to go with Beth Molofchic, then

11:15Laurel Kaine, John Tortelli,

11:19then Christopher Lenninger, and then Jay

11:22Guth.

11:24And I'm sorry, I have a little cold. Um,

11:27so Beth, we are going to promote you.

11:29You should be able to turn on your

11:30camera and unmute yourself. And you will

11:33have two minutes.

11:44Beth, you're muted. So, you can go

11:46ahead. You should be able to unmute

11:48yourself now.

11:52Beth Molofchek, Arlington Town meeting

11:55member.

11:57Ross Sewage hurts East Arlington

12:00residents.

12:02Governor

12:05Healey has said that there will not be

12:07data centers in communities unless those

12:10communities vote to allow data centers.

12:13Unless the community votes to be an open

12:16sewer, we should not allow open sewers

12:19in communities.

12:21MWR's

12:23draft plan, Governor Healey's draft plan

12:27for CSOS is inadequate and it will

12:31continue the release of raw sewage into

12:34our water bodies. Allew wife, Charles

12:37and Mystic. This is disrespectful to the

12:40public. This is disrespectful to the

12:44public health and disregards public

12:47health.

12:49MWR's plan, the draft plan, leaves Awife

12:54Brookke receiving nearly 50% more cso

12:57volume in a common future 5-year storm

13:00that it receives today. The draft plan

13:02does not keep up with climate change.

13:06Your plan is crap. Please everyone refer

13:10to Save Alife Brook Save Wife Brooks

13:14community plan. They have an impressive

13:16board. They studied the math, the

13:20science, the economics. They came up

13:23with workable solutions. I thank you for

13:26the opportunity to speak. I'm passionate

13:29about this. I think we should no longer

13:32suffer the tyranny of bureaucrats who

13:34need to go back to the drawing board.

13:37Thank you very much.

13:39>> Thank you, Beth.

13:41Laurel Kaine, you are up next. Um,

13:44please accept the promotion and you

13:47should be able to unmute and turn on

13:49your camera.

13:59Laurel,

14:05there we go. Welcome, Laurel.

14:09See if you can turn on your camera and

14:11unmute. Yeah. Hi, thank uh so my name is

14:15Laurel Kaine. I am a resident and a town

14:18meeting member in Arlington and I thank

14:21you for the opportunity to speak. Um

14:23I've lived here a long time, grew up

14:25around here and I um I just want to say

14:27first if I could just ride on Beth's

14:29coattails. She was very articulate and I

14:32admit to not being super wellversed in

14:34this issue. Um, but I do follow it uh

14:36loosely. And when I get an email that

14:38says, "Please, please explain why

14:41dumping millions of gallons of raw

14:43sewage into AWife Brook needs to stop."

14:45I ask myself, why? What are we doing

14:48here? The governor is putting forward

14:49this ballot question on, you know,

14:53conserving natural resources. Why don't

14:55we protect the natural resources that we

14:57have? Who thinks raw sewage is a good

14:59idea? I mean, where did this how did we

15:01get here? It just sort of defies all

15:04common sense. Never mind if you go

15:06beyond common sense to the you know

15:08responsibilities that a government has

15:10to its citizens of keeping them safe

15:13from say diseases that are carried in

15:15raw sewage. We all knew from COVID that

15:18they would predict the surge by testing

15:21the sewage. So just like really do the

15:24right thing, keep our environment clean,

15:27keep people safe. It's a gorgeous

15:28natural resource and um the fact that

15:32we're all here because of the hard hard

15:35tireless thankless work of volunteers

15:38who are championing to do the right

15:40thing I think is um I mean I'm grateful

15:43for their efforts but I also think um

15:45shouldn't we be able to trust our

15:47government to do the right thing

15:48especially here in Massachusetts where I

15:50know people are good-hearted but this

15:52particular project does not demonstrate

15:54that commitment. So thank you for the

15:56opportunity to speak. I appreciate and

15:58I'll be done.

16:00>> Thank you, Laurel.

16:02John Tortelli, you are next up. We're

16:05going to promote you.

16:13You should be There you are. You should

16:14be able to turn on your camera and

16:16unmute.

16:24Okay, we can see you, but we cannot You

16:26are still muted.

16:30>> Hopefully I'm unmuted

16:32>> there. Perfect.

16:33>> Okay. Hi, I'm John Tartelli. I live on

16:36Sunnyside Avenue in All Arlington and

16:38the Elwife Brooke is right behind my

16:41home. I find it disgusting and revolting

16:45that in 2026 we still have raw sewage

16:49running in the waterway behind my home.

16:52In the past, I've experienced overflow

16:56into my house and it basically it

17:00carries disease and it costs you money

17:03and time to clean it up.

17:05I hate too that when I have my

17:07grandchildren or friends over, I have to

17:10say, "Don't go near the water and

17:12explain to them that there is raw sewage

17:16running there in this day and age."

17:19Basically, I just say it's time to cut

17:22the crop and clean up the water. Thank

17:25you.

17:26>> Thank you. Um, for those of you in the

17:30room, I'm just going to pause and tell

17:31you the order. I think you were maybe

17:34tracking what number you signed up next

17:36to, but it will be the first batch of

17:38five after two more speakers online will

17:41be Rob Moyer, then um Non Valentine,

17:45David Staf third, Andrew Henna fourth,

17:48and Emily Norton fifth. So that'll be up

17:51after two more online speakers. So next

17:54is Christopher Lenninger, and then we're

17:57gonna have Jay Guth after Christopher.

17:59Christopher, please.

18:05Let's see. We are promoting Christopher.

18:09Give us a moment. He's coming.

18:22>> Christopher, can you turn on your camera

18:24and unmute?

18:29>> Yes. Yeah. Sorry.

18:31>> Perfect.

18:32>> Excellent. Yeah. I'm Chris Lininger. I

18:34am a civil engineer that lives in

18:37Molden, Massachusetts. Um I routinely

18:40recreate on the Molden and Awife Molden

18:44in the Molden, Mystic and Awite Brook

18:47area. Um and you know, it's kind of

18:50unconsciousable in this day and age that

18:53uh we do have raw sewage flowing in our

18:55rivers. It's uh you know there's a long

18:57history and legacy of uh you know

19:00combined sewers and the history of of

19:02the development in the city of Boston

19:03and all that but uh it's really an

19:06opportunity to engage in infrastructure

19:09revitalization and to create frankly a

19:12lot of jobs and a really cool master

19:14plan and to

19:17have a much much better

19:20and healthier city. Um, I really look

19:23forward to the day where, you know, you

19:24could swim in the Charles in the Mystic

19:27River. Uh, not just, you know, once a

19:29day, you know, once once a year on like

19:32the u, you know, Charles River swim. So,

19:35I advocate for, you know, the the Mystic

19:37River Wershed Association's plan, the

19:39Savia White Brooks plan, uh, you know,

19:43designed for a 25-y year discharge

19:45period. That's all. Thank you.

19:49>> Thank you very much. Um Jay Guth is the

19:53last [snorts] online speaker in this

19:55batch of five. Um folks online continue

19:58to raise your hands if you want to get

20:00in the queue but after the speaker we'll

20:02switch to the in person for the people

20:04who are first. I think you're all pretty

20:06close to the podium. It's going to be

20:08over here for those of you straight

20:10shot. Okay.

20:11>> Yeah. Jay, go ahead on my video.

20:15>> There you go.

20:16>> Hi, my name is Jay Guth. I live in

20:19Brooklyn, Massachusetts.

20:21I'm here as a chronically ill resident

20:24of the Boston area. Um, and as a sick

20:30person who suddenly became disabled in

20:33my 30s,

20:35um, I

20:38am here to say that, you know, all we

20:40really have at the end of the day is our

20:43health. Polluters are always going to

20:46say it's cheaper to pollute, but the

20:49cost goes downstream to all the people

20:52and animals and plants and ecosystems

20:55that have to pay for that with their

20:57health. And there's no amount of money

20:59at a certain point that can clean that

21:01up. We can have a future where all of

21:05the increased flooding that's predicted

21:07to happen because of climate change

21:09dredges up sewage all over Cambridge and

21:13Boston and Watertown. or we can continue

21:17to invest in all of the great ways that

21:20have already been put into cleaning up

21:22the river and put this one last push in

21:25and have a future where instead we could

21:27swim and have fish shacks and um save

21:31the future residents of Boston from

21:33having to pay for this pollution. Thank

21:36you.

21:38>> Thank you.

21:40All right, Rob Moyer is next up and

21:43after Rob is Noni

21:46and you will have to turn on the mic

21:48which is just hitting a button that says

21:49push right in the center.

21:52>> Hello. Hello.

21:54I'm Rob Moyer from the Ocean River

21:56Institute in Cambridge, Massachusetts. I

21:59fully support the proposed gray

22:02infrastructure with much still to be

22:05done. I also support evaluating living

22:08forest infrastructure to complement it

22:11and to pick up where the gray

22:13infrastructure leaves off. A forested

22:16leechfield could be piloted on the

22:18Cambridge upland along Awife Brook.

22:21Between route two and mass half between

22:24the parkway and the brook lies about

22:2660,000 square feet of mowed grass that

22:30could potentially support about 25,000

22:33native trees and shrub saplings.

22:37A pumping station could pre-treat and

22:39lift a portion of the cso water to the

22:42alow wife living forest, regulating the

22:45rate at which water enters the forest

22:48rather than subjecting it to the full

22:50pulse of a cso event. Much as in a

22:53conventional leech field, the water

22:56could be distributed underground where

22:58soil would provide further treatment

23:00while supporting thousands of native

23:02trees and shrubs. The alew wife living

23:05forest could provide many public

23:08benefits beyond treating cso water

23:12habitat shade and summer cooling cleaner

23:15air quieter surroundings storm water

23:17interception and a healthier and more

23:19beautiful ale wife green way planting

23:23thousands of native saplings would be an

23:25investment not just in today's

23:27infrastructure but in a forest that

23:29could grow and mature for generations

23:31thank you

23:32>> thank you nani [clears throat]

23:34And then David Staf will be up next. Hi

23:38Non Valentine Cambridge. I'm here

23:40pressing for full sewer separation and

23:44the kind of planning that catches up

23:45with climate reality by joining up gray

23:49infrastructure with green or living

23:51infrastructure like the beautiful

23:53wetland already at whale aleife. Why not

23:57be pioneering cities that turn around

23:59the stigma of csos into design around

24:03living systems? Wetlands are that

24:05restoring natural balance, including a

24:08healthy water cycle for the long term.

24:11Concrete storage tanks hold water, yes,

24:14but can overflow. Living systems are

24:17dynamic and self-scaling. Wetlands are

24:20natural shock absorbers. Native sedges,

24:23rushes, and deeprooted wetland trees

24:25slow down storm water, spreading it

24:28across the landscape and allowing it to

24:30infiltrate the ground. This lowers the

24:32peak volume of water rushing into sewer

24:35systems during intense rain. A wetland

24:39is active as a living filter.

24:41Microorganisms and root zones of plants

24:43break down hydrocarbons, trap heavy

24:45metals, and neutralize harmful

24:48pathogens. Cattail and pickle reed weed

24:51take up phosphorus and nitrogen for

24:53example from urban runoff cleaning water

24:56before it reaches the river. What

24:58happens when a person stops at the

25:00existing wetland at ale wife in summer?

25:03It's alive with biodiversity. They're

25:05caught by the scarlet of cardinal flower

25:08and the tall joe pyweed, the flick of

25:10the damsel fly skimming the water, the

25:13sound of bees and the base of the

25:15bullfrog. They stop. They breathe out.

25:18They look around. They slide the phone

25:20into a back pocket. A wetland brings

25:23them right into the rhythms of a living

25:25ecosystem. What if we dare to plan

25:28smarter and more beautifully? Thank you.

25:33>> Thank you, David. Stop and then it's

25:36going to be Andy.

25:37>> Uh before I begin my comment, I just

25:39want to say that um I'm troubled by

25:42CBI's role in this process.

25:46Uh,

25:47Mass D's water quality standards

25:49variance allows for meaningful public

25:51participation

25:53and certainly federal water quality

25:55standards regulations require hearings.

25:58To me, that means a hearing before a

26:01regulator and uh, a hearing run by a

26:04project consultant is not bad. So, with

26:07that, I'm David Staf. I live at 88

26:10Fairmont Street in Arlington. I'm about

26:12700 ft downstream from two csos that

26:15routinely discharge raw sewage. I'm on

26:19the steering committee of Save the Lwife

26:21Brook and I'm a retired attorney.

26:24My first hearing about Lwife CSOS was in

26:261998 and I've seen the target for CSOS

26:31slide from 3 million in about 1997 that

26:35plan to 7.4 four in 2002 and now MWA

26:39wants us to accept 9 million gallons as

26:41a starting point. This plan is really

26:44two plans uh an evaluation of

26:46alternatives for cso control and another

26:49portion that presents information for

26:52the water quality standard for all our

26:55waters uh variance waters but

26:57particularly our wife brook which is my

26:59concern and the plan will have to meet

27:02that water quality standard. I care

27:04about the water quality standard and I

27:06think this plan is inadequate. So I took

27:10this uh widely

27:13uh circulated photograph from behind my

27:15house showing people going through

27:17sewage. I got sick after I took this

27:20photo. Uh and I don't think that should

27:22happen to people. At the variance

27:24hearing, I said I thought D would move

27:27aggressively toward a water quality

27:29standard that protected public health.

27:31But I think that I was wrong. So I want

27:34to ask you what kind of future does this

27:36plan create? And I think it creates one

27:38in which the Lwife brook is a steering

27:40series of stagnant pools that is

27:42periodically washed by sewage.

27:46Even in the face of a sediment study

27:48that showed how fast the Lwipe was

27:51filling. The project team has refused to

27:53update their water quality model for

27:55future and present channel conditions.

27:58There will be a final CL plan, excuse

28:02me. And in it, I hope improving water

28:05quality in the brook through restoration

28:09efforts, not just pouring concrete is

28:12>> finish your sentence. Yeah.

28:14>> Okay. At the end of the project, we

28:16should be able to be proud of what we've

28:19built.

28:19>> Thank you.

28:20>> Not say it was a missed opportunity.

28:22>> Thank you, David. Sorry to cut you off.

28:23Um Andy, you're up next. Um, people

28:27online, a reminder of how to raise your

28:29virtual hand if you would like to share

28:32comment tonight. There's a little Zoom

28:34hand feature at the bottom of your

28:37screen that you can click on. And if you

28:39are on the phone and calling in, you hit

28:43star nine.

28:45Thank you to raise your hand. Andy,

28:47please.

28:48>> Thank you. I'm Andy Christina. I live in

28:50Cambridge, but I'm speaking as water

28:52quality program manager at the Mystic

28:54River Watershed Association. Um, we

28:57believe that the design goal for these

28:59projects should be the virtual

29:01elimination of CSOS from all three water

29:03bodies and that the current proposal

29:05stops dramatically short of that. We

29:08believe the report itself on its own

29:10terms shows that much more ambitious

29:12plans are both technically and

29:14economically feasible. We think the

29:16Clean Water Act demands more ambitious

29:18plans than public health does and we

29:21will be submitting detailed comments in

29:24writing making that case. But I also

29:27wanted to step back and say why we're in

29:29this public conversation in the first

29:31place. We're a small nonprofit that

29:33represents thousands of people. People

29:35who donate, who volunteer, who dearly

29:38care about living next to a thriving

29:41Mystic River and ill wife. Thousands of

29:44volunteers work with us to remove

29:45invasive plants, talk to legislators,

29:48join paddling events on the river, and

29:51count the hundreds of thousands of river

29:53herring in including alewife who make

29:56remarkable the remarkable annual

29:59wildlife migration from the Atlantic

30:01under the Tobin Bridge past Somerville

30:03and as high as Horn Pond and Wuburn.

30:06Cities change rivers, I always point

30:08out, but we also know how valuable urban

30:11rivers are to the thou to thousands of

30:13people, including young people who live

30:15near them, run alongside them, paddle

30:17down them. We're convinced that Boston's

30:20own history, especially the famously

30:22effective and economy enhancing cleanup

30:24of Boston Harbor shows that we can live

30:27densely in cities alongside thriving

30:31living systems if we come up with

30:33creative ways to do so. We call on

30:35decision makers to embrace this chance

30:37to truly modernize our city's

30:39infrastructure in a way that makes it

30:41resilient to climate change, protects

30:43people's health, and restores the

30:46ecosystems and public spaces on the

30:48water that so many people value. Thank

30:50you.

30:53>> Emily,

30:59>> my name is Emily Norton. lived in

31:01Newton, but I'm here um as the executive

31:03director of the Charles River Watershed

31:05Association.

31:07So, um the Clean Water Act of 1972

31:10promised promised fishable, swimmable

31:13rivers by 1983.

31:15The Clean Charles Initiative of 1995

31:18promised a swimmable Charles by 2005.

31:22Yet, here we are 20 years later, still

31:24treating the river like a toilet. The

31:26Massachusetts D classifies the Charles

31:29as a class B water body, which means it

31:32must be safe for fish, for wildlife, and

31:34for people to use for swimming, boating,

31:37and fishing. Yet, the plan being

31:39recommended does not do that. Does the

31:42law mean anything anymore? At least here

31:46in Massachusetts,

31:48they could do it if they wanted. They

31:50actually laid out a year ago how they

31:52could do it. It's got sewer separation,

31:54storage tanks, and green infrastructure.

31:55So, it's not like the parties don't know

31:57how to do it. They just don't want to.

32:00And they think the public doesn't care.

32:03I'm here to say on behalf of the 1

32:05million plus residents of the Charles

32:07River wershed, we do care. We care very

32:09much. We say finish the job. Do your

32:13job. Stop treating the Charles like a

32:16toilet. It's disgusting. It's

32:18embarrassing for our state and for your

32:21legacy. Thank you.

32:23>> Thank you.

32:26We are now going to go to online

32:29comments.

32:30Um we have in the queue, let's see if I

32:33can see um George late and then Steve

32:37Schnap and then Michael McKenzie. Those

32:41are the three people whose hands are up

32:43at the moment. Online folks, again, if

32:46you'd like to share your thoughts, we're

32:47very happy to hear them. Um you just

32:49need to raise your virtual hand so we

32:51know to call on you. Um, Steve Schnap,

32:55we are gonna promote. Oh, George, sorry,

32:57it changed in front of my eyes. George,

32:59please go ahead.

33:04George, you're going to have to unmute.

33:05Yeah, there you go.

33:09You're going to have to unmute yourself

33:10and then turn on your video.

33:17>> Okay. Can you hear me now?

33:19>> We can.

33:20>> Excellent. Uh, I've lived on, my name is

33:22George Leight, and I have lived on

33:23Lafayette Street in East Arlington, uh,

33:26stones throw from Al Whitebrook for over

33:2840 years. And in that time period, I've

33:30watched as Al Whitebrook has died a slow

33:32incremental death, a death by a thousand

33:35cuts, the result of official inaction by

33:38the Massachusetts Water Resources

33:40Authority. And I put the burden on the

33:42MWR as that is the agency responsible uh

33:46to en enact the federal court order and

33:49variance. And today the MWRA wishes to

33:52continue with a policy of benign neglect

33:55by putting a band-aid on a river in

33:57desperate need of radical life support.

34:00And that band-aid is the long-term

34:02control plan. In the late 1980s, my

34:05neighbors who lived nearby fished in the

34:07brook, often catching fish, mostly carp.

34:10Most of those neighbors lived nearby in

34:12public housing and often had limited

34:14ability to understand English. They were

34:17and still are members of environmental

34:19justice communities which are but the

34:21brook in Arlington, Cambridge, and

34:23Somerville. They caught fish. I'm sorry.

34:26Today you rarely see anyone fishing in

34:28Alwifebrook.

34:30And the Alwife no longer swim upstream

34:32to spawn. In fact, few of my neighbors

34:34even know there were once fish in Alwife

34:36Brook, never mind. We residents have

34:39become accustomed to a dying brook

34:41having never known anything else. To

34:44quote Tom O'Shea, the commissioner of

34:45the Massachusetts Department of Fish and

34:47Game, uh this reality is called the

34:50shifting baseline syndrome. It means

34:53again to quote Tom, it means that each

34:55generation accepts a degraded

34:56environment and they inherit it as

34:58normal. Let me repeat that. It means

35:01that each generation accepts a degraded

35:03environment and they inherit it as

35:05normal. As El White Brook slowly dies,

35:08each generation will accept that the

35:09condition of the dying river is how it

35:11has always been. It's time for an

35:13aroused citizensry citizenry to put a

35:15stop to the continued degradation of

35:17what is an important river, reject the

35:19proposed long-term control plan, and

35:21demand virtual cso elimination for the

35:23good of our river and communities. Thank

35:25you.

35:27>> Thank you, George. Steve Schnap, you are

35:30up next and then it will be Michael

35:32McKenzie.

35:49Steve, do you want to You're going to

35:50We're going to invite you again. You

35:51have to sort of accept to be promoted so

35:53that we can hear you and see you if

35:56you'd like.

36:02there.

36:04>> Yes.

36:04>> Can you hear me now?

36:06>> You can. Welcome.

36:07>> Great. Uh my name is Steve Schnapp. Uh I

36:10live in Medford Square. I was a resident

36:12of North Cambridge uh for 34 years. Uh

36:17been living in Medford Square since uh

36:202011.

36:21Um this current plan

36:25uh draft plan does not result in

36:28eliminating sewage from public

36:30recreational spaces.

36:34residents and visitors deserve nothing

36:37less than a non-toxic environment to

36:41walk and bike and spend time in.

36:45I want to thank the residents

36:49uh the activist residents of Cambridge,

36:52Somerville, Medford, Hollington, and

36:55beyond for continuing to advocate for a

37:01solution that removes

37:04sewage from our recreational spaces.

37:09Thank you.

37:11>> Thank you.

37:13Next up, Michael McKenzie.

37:24While Michael is getting set up, I'm

37:25going to say then we're going back into

37:27the room into inerson comments. So, then

37:29it's going to be Julie Wood and then

37:30Kristen Anderson after Michael.

37:38>> I see.

37:40>> We can hear you.

37:41>> Okay. I'm working on trying. Okay, here

37:43we go. I've got video and all right, can

37:46you see me now? And can you hear me?

37:47>> We can. Yes, perfect.

37:51>> Thank you for allowing me to speak. I

37:52wasn't expecting to speak. My name is

37:55Michael McKenzie and I'm a Cambridge

37:56resident and I I'm chronically ill and

37:59live with a power wheelchair and a

38:01hospital bed. I actually live right here

38:04at LF Brookke. I moved to this section

38:07of the city about three or four years

38:09ago in 2003.

38:14I take daily photos and not I was not

38:17aware but I became aware because I

38:20firsthand saw over the past three years

38:22my daily encounters with wildlife and

38:25the patterns that have changed. Every

38:27day I've taken footage night and day and

38:30I started to water the monitor levels of

38:32more notice the last 18 months that the

38:34water levels were going down. The birds

38:36were literally dying. Um this is a

38:39disrespect.

38:41We're supposed to be stewards of the

38:42earth and for all the science and

38:45technology we have, we still are living

38:47like we're in the stone age.

38:51Natural resources are not something to

38:53be exploited. And I'm going to keep it

38:55brief and just pause on that.

39:00It's a disrespect to mother nature. And

39:03I'm going to stop there. That's my

39:04comment.

39:06>> Thank you.

39:09>> All right. There are no more hands up

39:11right now in the from virtual

39:13participants. So, next up are the five

39:16in-person participants. I'm going to

39:18read your numbers out just so you know

39:19the order and who's coming before you.

39:22So, it'll be Julie Wood and then Kristen

39:24Anderson, Michael Lenettto, Cole Graham,

39:27and then Rachel Rachel Wagner. Go ahead.

39:31>> All right. Thank you. Good evening. I'm

39:33Julie Wood Somerville, but I'm here

39:34speaking as the chief program officer at

39:36the Charles Wershed Association. I've

39:38been involved in this pro process from

39:40the very beginning. Can't believe it's

39:41been five years. Um, ending CSOS is a

39:44top priority for Charles River Wershed

39:46Association, not only because it

39:47protects the health of the river and

39:49neighboring residents, but also because

39:50it's the only investment that makes

39:52sense for our region and the rateayers

39:54who will fund this work. The plan

39:56proposed by the parties is presented as

39:58a compromise. But the truth of the plan

40:00put forward by the parties is that we it

40:02will be out of date as soon as the work

40:04is complete. The preferred alternative

40:07titled zero csos in a typical year does

40:09not mean CSOS. It is not an end to CSOS.

40:12The party's own analysis shows that in

40:14real world conditions only four years

40:17out of 10, 40% of the time will have no

40:20CSOS. Plan figure 10-8 shows that if the

40:24proposed work had been completed in

40:262014,

40:27the subsequent 20 year 10 years from

40:302015 to 2024 would have only four years

40:34with zero CSOS, six years with sewage

40:38raw discharge into the river. The work

40:41was not done in 2014 and in fact the

40:43best case scenario is it will be done in

40:452050. If we assume the forward-looking

40:48rainfall conditions extend out to 2069

40:51as your plan indate indicates, the best

40:54case scenario is we get 19 years with

40:56this level of control. 40% of the time

40:59having no CSOS. Doing the math, this

41:02proposal amounts to spending $1.3

41:04billion to get seven or eight years with

41:07no CSO discharges. While we welcome

41:10seven or eight cso free years, this does

41:13not maximize the benefit. We acknowledge

41:15the cost of elimination is larger, but

41:17the plan is not being transparent about

41:19the benefits, particularly when it comes

41:22to climate change. Just end this problem

41:24now. Modernize our infrastructure. End

41:26sewage dumping in the Charles. Stop

41:28pushing ineffective outofdate half

41:30solutions. Thank you.

41:32>> Thank you.

41:35>> Next up, Kristen, and then it will be

41:37Michael after Kristen.

41:40>> Uh, thank you. Uh, my name is Kristen

41:42Anderson. I live in Arlington and I am a

41:45steering committee member uh from Elwife

41:47Save Elwifebrook.

41:49Um Elwifebrook floods regularly.

41:53I have had that flood water in my home.

41:57This is flood water that came in through

41:58the back door and stayed in my house

42:01overnight. It's happened. It happened

42:04multiple times. I didn't know what was

42:06in the water. My neighbors did not know

42:08what was in the water. Um, and we got

42:11sick with painful cramps,

42:14um, fever, and bloody diarrhea.

42:18It was terrible, and I don't want this

42:20to happen to anybody else. The draft

42:23plan is designed to allow sewage

42:26discharge volumes that are 50% worse in

42:31common future five-year storm events

42:34than they are in today's five-year storm

42:37events. A five-year storm event has a

42:4020% chance of happening in any given

42:43year. It is common. So conditions in the

42:46future at Illwifebrook will be much

42:48worse than they are today because the

42:50draft plan was not engineered to keep up

42:52with climate change impacts.

42:55The draft plan is designed to discharge

42:58more raw sewage in the exact same size

43:01storms that are most likely to result in

43:03Elwifebrook flooding. In 2023,

43:07Elwifebrook flooded over its bank five

43:09times. A one-year storm event or less is

43:12the size storm that caused flooding at

43:14Elwife Brook in 2023.

43:17We need a plan that engineers an end to

43:19dumping of untreated sewage in our

43:21rivers. We need a plan that focuses on

43:24sewer separation and green storm water

43:26infrastructure. And most of all, we need

43:29to stop making people sick by dumping

43:32sewage in our rivers. Thank you.

43:37Michael and then Cole.

43:44>> Hello, I'm Mike Lenetto. I am a member

43:47of the steering committee of Save the

43:48Alife Brook. Uh but I which will be

43:51submitting extensive comments I'm sure

43:54going forward. Uh but these are my

43:56personal comments as a Somerville

43:58resident and neighbor of the Owife Brook

44:00for the past 14 years and my comment

44:02only refers to the Lwife part of the

44:04plan.

44:05In those 14 years, the condition of the

44:07brook has visibly degraded as our

44:09changing climate has led to both larger

44:11and more frequent storms as well as

44:13longer and more frequent droughts. We

44:15have experienced larger and more

44:17frequent sewage overflows leading to

44:19both short-term and long-term damage to

44:20the stream and its wildlife as well as

44:22stench that is both an immediate

44:24consequence of CSOS and persistent

44:27stench when the sewage flats are exposed

44:29by low water during droughts. The draft

44:32updated long-term control plan is

44:34inadequate as a solution to this

44:36problem. The planning partners own

44:38analysis shows that the current plan if

44:40it had been implemented before the 10

44:42years that were studied in your

44:43analysis, it would have decreased CSO

44:46frequency and volume but not eliminated

44:47them in the past. Even the climate is

44:50still changes as others have stated.

44:53There will be much greater uh there will

44:57be much larger storms and more frequent

44:59droughts to come. Um,

45:02so by the time this is done in in or

45:06before 2050,

45:08uh, we'll be back where we started. So

45:11this doesn't meet either the letter or

45:13the spirit of the Clean Water Act. This

45:15plan should be rejected by the

45:16regulators and replaced with a plan that

45:18eliminates or virtually eliminates raw

45:20sewage pollution in the Elwife. This

45:22plan does neither and leaves us treading

45:24sewage laden water. Thank you.

45:27>> Thank you.

45:29Next up, Cole, and then Rachel.

45:34>> Great. [sighs] Uh, thank you for the

45:36opportunity to speak. Uh, my name is

45:38Cole Graham. I'm a family medicine

45:40physician, climate policy fellow, and

45:42resident of Somerville. I'm speaking

45:44today as a concerned citizen in support

45:46of an improved CSO control plan that

45:48would eliminate sewage overflows into

45:50the Mystic Charles and Aewife Brook. I

45:54frequently recreate along these

45:55waterways and I'm grateful to have

45:57access to beautiful natural spaces

45:59within our otherwise urbanized

46:01environment. As a primary care

46:03physician, I regularly recommend being

46:04outside and utilizing natural spaces to

46:07my patients due to the numerous physical

46:09and mental health benefits. In

46:11particular, on hot summer days,

46:12waterways are indispensable as areas to

46:15cool down and take a mental break.

46:17However, recreating along a river

46:18becomes definitively unhealthy when it

46:20is contaminated with raw sewage. And as

46:23studies show, and we've heard tonight,

46:24the health risks exist not only for

46:26those who swim in contaminated water,

46:28but those who live, work, or play

46:29nearby. As summer heat becomes more

46:32extreme, our rivers are becoming even

46:34more precious resources. And as rainfall

46:36events become more intense, we will need

46:38the most robust possible system to

46:40prevent sewage from contaminating these

46:42vital resources. For this reason, I urge

46:45the MWR Cambridge and Somerville to

46:47adopt a plan that would achieve true

46:49elimination through separation or if

46:51that's infeasible, virtual elimination

46:52up to a 25-year storm. Anything less is

46:55insufficient to adequately support the

46:56health and well-being of all of us who

46:58live, work, and recreate along our

47:00waterways. Thank you for your time.

47:03>> You

47:04Rachel, next up, and because there are

47:07no virtual hands, there is the last

47:11person to sign up. you will be after

47:13Rachel. And I don't actually have that

47:14name. Somebody will grab that. Please go

47:17ahead.

47:18>> Hi, it's wonderful to be here today. Um,

47:20my name is Rachel Wagner. I use she her

47:22pronouns. I'm a resident of Somerville

47:25and a law student at Northeastern

47:27University School of Law and a longtime

47:30advocate with Myra. I rode daily on the

47:33Mystic River in college and I recreate

47:36in the upper Mystic Lake

47:39just on a regular basis whenever I'm not

47:41in law school. I'm planning to practice

47:44environmental law. I'm proud to be a

47:46citizen of Massachusetts for many

47:48reasons, especially with respect to

47:49environmental justice efforts.

47:52Mass Office of Environmental Justice and

47:54Equity and the AGO's EG EJ summit in

47:58Worcester this year uh reignited some of

48:00my hope in the progress that we have

48:02going at the state level here in Mass.

48:05Hope that has dwindled when looking at

48:06the federal landscape. That said, I'm

48:09embarrassed by the Cso draft plan. This

48:12plan does not go far enough to combat

48:14combined sewer overflows. And as leading

48:17organizations like Myra have suggested,

48:19we need virtual elimination of CSOS. In

48:22addition to my personal persuasions um

48:25about the adequacy of this plan, MWR's

48:28enabling legislation itself demands

48:30more.

48:32It says in the legislation uh therefore

48:34it is declared to be in the best

48:35interest of the commonwealth and its

48:37inhabitants to promote the general

48:39health and welfare to improve commerce

48:41and living conditions to conserve water

48:44and to develop and protect in the public

48:46interest the natural resources of the

48:48commonwealth that there be established

48:50the um MWR at section 1 C. Mass as a

48:55whole shows great respect for binding

48:57contracts, legal authority and

48:58scientific data. Most importantly, mass

49:01shows compassion for all who live here,

49:03both animals and plants alike. We are a

49:06reformative leader in so many ways. It

49:09is increasingly important that we carry

49:11that torch while the federal system

49:13falters. Let's show that initiative here

49:15again. Thank you.

49:17>> Thank you.

49:18>> And next up is Brianna Rainville.

49:28Everyone, um, I want to say to the

49:30council members, um, thanks for holding

49:31the space and extending the comment

49:32period. Uh, my name is Brianna

49:34Rainville. I live on Renfield Street in

49:36Cambridge. Um, I think if I were to ask

49:39anyone in the room, hey, tomorrow's

49:41going to be a warm day. Want to go for a

49:43swim in the Charles? Everyone be like,

49:44absolutely not. No thanks. Um, and I

49:48think one day, if I were to ask that, we

49:50should be able to. Um we um you know

49:55having csos in 2026 as everyone has said

49:59um it's ridiculous. Um we um there and

50:05while it's based off of infrastructure

50:08from you know over 200 years ago it's

50:102026. We're able to fix that. You can

50:13look at a project across the river the

50:16big dig. Um, I'm too young to have known

50:19what the city was like with a highway

50:21going through it, but now many, many

50:24times I have walked along the greenway

50:25and it's beautiful and I'm sure many of

50:26you have as well. Um the we have the

50:30ability to create infrastructure whether

50:34it be better pipes to have zero cso

50:37overflows to include native vegetation

50:40to also help that a combination of this

50:43um to create um this investment is

50:47necessary. We there there should be no

50:49excuse to still have this happening in

50:522026 and

50:55we should have this plan,

50:57you know, to take into account climate

50:59change, what these storms will look

51:01like. Anything that includes CSOS in the

51:04future is unacceptable. Thank you.

51:07>> Thank you.

51:09>> Last call for anyone who has not made

51:12public comment who would like to.

51:17We um

51:22we do not have any hands up online. Um

51:25and I do not see anybody who has not

51:27spoken who wants to in the room. So this

51:31is the first of three hearings. We want

51:34to keep the same system for each one so

51:36that it's fair. So we our next two are

51:40September 24th at 1 p.m. that is online.

51:44You are all welcome.

51:45um spread the word to others. If you

51:48think you know people who would like to

51:49make comment that way, please share the

51:53more detailed additional thoughts you

51:55have in writing as well. And then we

51:57have our third hearing on October 28th

51:59at 6 p.m. at Somerville City Hall. So,

52:03we will see many of you there. Thank you

52:06for coming out. Have a beautiful

52:09evening. Thanks everyone for sharing all

52:11of your thoughts. We appreciate it. Good

52:14night.