The Grades Are In–Read More in Boston Globe, WBUR, NBC Boston
Earlier this month, we joined with U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) New England Region 1 Water Division Director Ken Moraff, Mashpee Wampanoag environmental advocate Hartman Deetz, Medford Mayor Breanna Lungo-Koehn, Mystic River Watershed Association, Neponset River Watershed Association, state and local leaders, and community partners to announce the 2023 Report Card Grades for the three rivers that flow into Boston Harbor––the Neponset, the Charles, and the Mystic.
The 2023 Charles River Report Card Grades, which range from A to F, show significant improvements from 1995, but progress has largely stalled. Increased precipitation, drought, and heat from climate change result in combined sewer overflows and stormwater pollution, inhibiting safe recreation. In 2023, due to nearly fifty inches of rainfall, thirty-nine known CSO events discharged more than 72 million gallons of sewage into the Charles. Dive into the grades––read our press release, analysis, and articles in the Boston Globe, WBUR, and NBC Boston.
