ANNOUNCING THE 2022 THREE RIVERS REPORT CARDS
BOSTON, MA –– Today, the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) joined U.S. Senator Ed Markey, Charles River Watershed Association, Mystic River Watershed Association, Neponset River Watershed Association, state and local leaders, and community partners to announce the 2022 Water Quality Report Card Grades for the three rivers that flow into Boston Harbor––the Neponset, the Charles, and the Mystic.
The 2022 Report Card Grades, which range from A to F, show vast overall improvements in the recreational health of the Charles, Mystic, and Neponset compared to prior decades, yet illuminate how the weather extremes of drought, heat, and increased precipitation impact river health, safe recreation, and enjoyment of these rivers, at a time when residents rely on them most.
“Today’s report card of water quality in the major urban rivers of Boston and surrounding communities underscores that when communities, governments at all levels, and organizations come together, we can solve long-standing environmental and equity challenges to create healthier rivers. But the report also highlights rivers that are polluted especially in underserved and overburdened communities that deserve to enjoy a clean and healthy environment. More work is needed to bring environmental justice to these communities,” said EPA New England Regional Administrator David W. Cash.
“From historic drought to record-breaking floods, communities across Greater Boston are bearing witness to the climate crisis each and every season,” said Senator Markey. “I am grateful for the leadership of the EPA and Charles River, Mystic River, and Neponset River Watershed Associations and their commitment to working alongside state, local, and federal partners to act in the face of this crisis. Together, we have made critical progress by doing our part to remediate environmental injustice and clean up these treasured urban rivers. I look forward to the day when every resident of Greater Boston has access to an A+ river or stream in their community.”
BACKGROUND ON EPA REPORT CARD GRADES
Since 1995, the U.S. EPA has issued the annual Charles River Report Card to report the recreational health of the river and educate the public on challenges to water quality. Since 2006 and 2021, respectively, U.S. EPA has issued Report Card grades for the Mystic River and Neponset River. Beginning in 2021, grades for the Charles, Mystic, and Neponset have been reported together at a joint announcement with state and local partners.
The Report Card Grades are based on the percentage of time E. coli bacteria concentrations are safe for recreation, precipitation data, and weighted with a three-year average. Additionally, in the Charles River, grades account for the presence of cyanobacteria blooms and combined sewer overflow (CSO) discharges, two additional threats to public health. These grades exclusively report recreational health––for a full picture of river health, a myriad of factors need to be considered, like nutrient pollution, biodiversity of aquatic life, river flow, temperature, and more.
COMMUNITY-DRIVEN SCIENCE
Each year, Charles River, Mystic River, and Neponset River Watershed Associations rely on hundreds of community science volunteers to collect samples, which are sent for analysis to the Massachusetts Water Resources Authority (MWRA). Those results are reported to EPA and announced as letter grades to help the public better understand the recreational health of the three rivers that flow into Boston Harbor.
“Robust water quality monitoring is at the heart of MassDEP’s efforts to maintain and restore Massachusetts waterways. The thousands of water samples taken in these rivers help identify pollution problems, inform cleanup efforts, and plan for the impacts of a changing climate,” said Massachusetts Department of Environmental Protection Commissioner Bonnie Heiple. “We are proud of our partnerships with the watershed associations in the Charles, Mystic, and Neponset rivers, and will continue to collaborate and invest in these important efforts to improve water quality.”
“DCR is committed to ensuring all communities across Massachusetts have access to clean water for recreation and to preserving our important natural resources like our riverways for generations to come,” said Massachusetts Department of Conservation and Recreation Commissioner Brian Arrigo. “We look forward to continuing to work with our local, state, federal and watershed association partners to improving water quality in these three urban rivers in the face of climate change driven extreme weather and to remedying longstanding injustices that have prevented lower income and communities of color from accessing our rivers.”
CLIMATE CHANGE & WATER QUALITY
Greater Boston and its three rivers are already seeing the effects of climate change––just the last three years show oscillating weather extremes of drought in 2020, heavy rainfall in 2021, and severe drought
again in 2022. Climate impacts––increased precipitation, drought, heat, and stronger storms––threaten to stall the progress made toward swimmable urban rivers.
Additionally, across the three watersheds, stark disparities exist––low-income, language isolated, and communities of color face disproportionate exposure to pollution, unequal access to the outdoors and green spaces, and outsized risk from impacts of extreme heat and flooding.
“It’s great to be here again to celebrate the improvements we have all made in the water quality of these rivers, but challenges remain,” said Fred Laskey, MWRA’s Executive Director. “And the impact of climate change on the rivers is no longer a future threat – it’s here now. We must continue to work together to find viable and affordable solutions.”
DROUGHT
In 2022, the severe, prolonged drought significantly affected Massachusetts rivers. Such droughts have become a pattern––in 2016, Massachusetts experienced the most significant drought since the 1960s with record low surface and groundwater levels. Then, severe drought again in 2020 and 2022. Drought impacts not only water quality for recreation, leading to more concentrated bacterial pollution, but also has devastating consequences for the river ecosystem, wildlife, and all who depend on healthy rivers for drinking water, recreation, and enjoyment.
INCREASED PRECIPITATION
In the three highly urbanized watersheds, with over 80% impervious cover in some communities, the scale and consequences of heavier rainfall and extreme weather are stark, resulting in more stormwater pollution, combined sewer overflows (CSOs), and flooding.
Stormwater pollution is one of the greatest threats to clean rivers––rainstorms wash gasoline, trash, oil, pet waste, and more from our roads, parking lots, and roofs straight into storm drains, which carry this polluted runoff straight into rivers, untreated, carrying excess nutrients that degrade the river ecosystem and cause rampant invasive species growth, toxic cyanobacteria blooms, and even fish kills. Combined sewer overflows occur when heavy rain and intense storms cause our outdated combined sewer systems in Boston, Chelsea, Somerville, and Cambridge to overflow into local waterways, exposing river users to bacteria, viruses, excess nutrients, pharmaceuticals, trash, and even PFAS compounds.
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