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OKAY, WE'RE GONNA GO AHEAD AND GET STARTED.
WELCOME TO THOSE IN PERSON WITH US HERE AT CAMBRIDGE CITY HALL.
UM, THIS IS THE FIRST OF THREE PUBLIC HEARINGS ON THE DRAFT, UPDATED COMBINED WHO ARE OVERFLOW CONTROL PLAN.
UM, WE HAVE PEOPLE IN PERSON AND ON ZOOM.
I'M A FACILITATOR AT THE CONSENSUS BUILDING INSTITUTE.
WE'RE A NONPROFIT THAT'S BASED IN, UH, PORTER SQUARE IN CAMBRIDGE, AND I'M JOINED HERE TONIGHT WITH MY, UH, CO-FACILITATOR, ONA FERGUSON.
WE HAVE MICAH SIEGEL, WHO'S HELPING WITH TECH AND RT HALL BAGS BY THE DOOR, HELPING WITH SIGNUP SHEETS.
SO IF YOU NEED HELP WITH TECH, FIND MY GUT, AND IF YOU NEED HELP WITH SIGNING UP, UM, FIND RT SLIDE.
OKAY, SO TONIGHT'S HEARING IS MAINLY AN OPPORTUNITY TO PROVIDE PUBLIC COMMENT ON THIS DRAFT PLAN.
UM, WE WILL, UH, AND THAT PUBLIC COMMENT IS GOING TO BE TRANSCRIBED AND ENTERED INTO THE PUBLIC RECORD.
UM, WE WILL START WITH A BIT OF INFORMATION ABOUT WHERE WE ARE IN THE PROCESS FOR THOSE THAT ARE NEWER, UM, WE'LL SHARE HOW TO LEARN MORE.
THERE'S A LOT OF INFORMATION AVAILABLE ON THIS DRAFT PLAN, SO WE'LL HEAR A LITTLE BIT ABOUT WHERE TO FIND THAT, AND THEN WE'LL SHARE HOW TO COMMENT.
THERE ARE MANY WAYS TO COMMENT.
THIS IS ONE OF THEM, UM, BUT WE WANNA MAKE PEOPLE AWARE OF ALL OF THEM.
WE'LL THEN OPEN FOR, WE'LL TALK ABOUT HOW TO GIVE PUBLIC COMMENT TONIGHT AND THEN WE'LL OPEN FOR PUBLIC COMMENT.
UM, WE HAVE ALLOCATED TWO MINUTES FOR EVERYONE THAT WANTS TO SPEAK THIS EVENING.
UM, IF YOU HAVE LONGER THAN TWO MINUTES OF PUBLIC COMMENT, THERE ARE MANY WRITTEN WAYS TO GIVE THAT.
SO WE'LL, WE'LL DETAIL THAT SOON.
UM, WE JUST ON THE AGENDA HERE, WE WILL OPEN UP FOR PUBLIC COMMENT AND WE WILL TAKE ALL PUBLIC COMMENT.
ONCE EVERYONE WHO HAS HAD THEIR TWO MINUTES WHO WANTS TO SPEAK, THEN WE WILL ADJOURN.
UM, WE'RE NOT GONNA TAKE FORMAL BREAKS, AND SO IF YOU NEED TO GO TO THE BATHROOM OR GRAB WATER, PLEASE DO THAT.
IF YOU GO LEAVE THIS ROOM, WALK ALL THE WAY ACROSS THE BUILDING AND TURN RIGHT, YOU'LL FIND THE BATHROOMS AND WATER FOUNTAINS.
THIS IS BEING RECORDED SO IT CAN BE TRANSCRIBED, BUT THAT ALSO MEANS YOU'LL BE ABLE TO WATCH, UH, COMMENTS LATER.
UM, WE'LL ALSO HAVE SOME STAFF ROTATION IN CASE WE'RE HERE FOR A LONG TIME.
SO YOU MIGHT SEE SOME OF US MOVE OR CHANGE OR SWAP OUT.
BUT AGAIN, ALL PUBLIC COMMENTS WILL BE REC TRANSCRIBED AND ENTERED INTO THE PUBLIC RECORD AND CONTINUED OR, AND CONSIDERED.
OKAY, I'M GONNA TURN TO LUKA HILLER, WHO'S THE CSO PROGRAM MANAGER FOR THE CITY OF CAMBRIDGE, TO TALK THROUGH WHERE WE ARE IN THE PROCESS, HOW TO LEARN MORE AND HOW TO COMMENT.
THANK YOU, AND AGAIN, WELCOME EVERYBODY TO THE FIRST, UH, HEARING ON THE DRAFT UPDATED CSO CONTROL PLAN.
THIS IS A PLAN THAT WAS JOINTLY DEVELOPED BY AND SUBMITTED, UM, TOGETHER WITH THE CITY OF SOMERVILLE AND THE MWRA IN THE ROOM TONIGHT.
FOR PEOPLE WHO ARE CURIOUS, WE HAVE, UH, REPRESENTATIVES FROM ALL THREE PARTNERS.
SHE'S THE CHIEF OPERATING OFFICER AT MWRA JEREMY HALL, THE PROJECT, THE PROGRAM MANAGER FOR THE CSO CONTROL PLAN.
WE ALSO HAVE RICH RA, THE DIRECTOR OF IAM WITH SOMERVILLE, ALONG WITH, UM, GINA CORTEZ, THE DEPUTY DIRECTOR OF ENGINEERING PROJECTS, AND STEPHANIE ALAMINA, THE STORMWATER PROGRAM MANAGER.
UM, OTHERS IN THE PROJECT, UH, TEAM, WE WILL, WILL REVIEW THE TONIGHT'S COMMENTS CAREFULLY.
SO, UM, JUST BECAUSE THEY'RE NOT HERE DOESN'T MEAN THEY'RE NOT LISTENING.
IN THE NEXT SLIDE, YOU'LL SEE SORT OF THE, A LITTLE BIT OF, OF THE WORK WE'VE DONE AND THE TIMELINE.
WE STARTED WORKING ON THIS IN 2022.
UH, THE GOAL IS, WAS TO IDENTIFY PROJECTS TO REDUCE COMBINED SEWER OVERFLOWS INTO THE YELLOW LIFE BROOK, THE MYSTIC RIVER, AND THE CHARLES RIVER.
UM, THIS WAS, AS YOU CAN SEE, A MULTI-YEAR PLAN.
WE'VE HAD SEVEN PUBLIC MEETINGS, A LOT OF ADDITIONAL OTHER WORK.
THE DRAFT REPORT WAS MADE AVAILABLE APRIL 30TH, 2026.
AND THIS, RIGHT NOW WE'RE IN THE SIX MONTH PUBLIC COMMENT PERIOD.
UM, WE ENCOURAGE YOU TO LOOK AT THE RECORDINGS FROM THESE YEARS OF WORK BEFORE YOU SUBMIT ADDITIONAL COMMENTS OR OTHER COMMENTS.
THE FINAL REPORT WILL BE RELEASED IN 2027, FOLLOWED BY A STATE REVIEW.
ONE THING TO NOTE, UH, AGAIN, COMMENTS ARE DUE BY THE END OF OCTOBER, AND THEN D-E-P-N-E-P-A ARE TAKING AN ADDITIONAL MONTH TO REVIEW THE COMMENTS BEFORE THEY SUBMIT THEIR COMMENTS TO THE PARTNERS.
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OH, SO OCTOBER 30TH.UM, IF YOU WANNA LEARN MORE ABOUT THE PLAN WE PUT ON THIS NEXT SLIDE, UH, A COUPLE OF QR CODES.
YOU CAN READ THE DRAFT AND, UM, ANY PREVIOUS INFORMATION THAT WAS POSTED THERE.
IN THE NEXT SLIDE, WE JUST WANNA REMIND PEOPLE, UM, THAT COME PUBLIC COMMENTS ARE ACCEPTED IN THREE WAYS, NO FOUR WAYS, SORRY.
YOU CAN SUBMIT COMMENTS IN THE ONLINE PORTAL.
THERE'S A QR CODE AND A LINK THERE.
YOU CAN SUBMIT COMMENTS BY EMAIL.
AGAIN, THERE'S A QR CODE AND THE EMAIL ADDRESS.
YOU CAN EVEN DO IT THE OLD FASHIONED WAY AND WRITE A LETTER AND SUBMIT IT TO THE ADDRESS.
UM, THAT'S DOWN HERE, WHICH IS THE MWRA OFFICE IN AT TO GRIFFIN WAY IN CHELSEA, MASSACHUSETTS.
OR YOU COULD DO VERBAL PUBLIC COMMENTS.
OKAY, SO TODAY'S THE FIRST PUBLIC HEARING.
UH, IT'S BOTH, LIKE WE SAID, IN PERSON AND VIRTUAL.
THE NEXT PUBLIC HEARING WILL BE SEPTEMBER 24TH, 2026 FROM 1:00 PM TO 3:00 PM THAT WELL FROM 1:00 PM UNTIL
AGAIN, IT'S GONNA BE HYBRID, BOTH IN PERSON AT SOMERVILLE CITY HALL AND VIRTUAL.
THAT WILL START AT 6:00 PM AND THEN ABBY, UM, WE'LL GIVE YOU DETAILS ABOUT TONIGHT.
IF YOU HAVE QUESTIONS OUTSIDE OF PUBLIC COMMENTS, YOU CAN DEFINITELY EMAIL OR CONTACT US, BUT IF YOU REALLY WANT, UM, WANNA SUBMIT PUBLIC COMMENTS, PLEASE FOLLOW THE FOUR AVENUES THAT WE'VE TALKED ABOUT.
OKAY, SO HOW IS TONIGHT GOING TO WORK? WELL, FIRST OF ALL, THANK YOU FOR BEING HERE.
WE HAVE ABOUT 38 PEOPLE ONLINE, SO THANKS TO THE FOLKS ON ZOOM AND IN PERSON.
IT'S REALLY GREAT TO SEE SO MANY PEOPLE INTERESTED IN SUCH AN IMPORTANT TOPIC.
UM, TONIGHT WE'LL WORK, WE'RE, AS I SAID AT THE TOP OF THIS, WE'RE GONNA GIVE EVERYONE WHO WANTS TO COMMENT TWO MINUTES.
WE'RE GONNA BE PRETTY STRICT ON THE TWO MINUTE LIMITS, SO WE'RE FAIR AND CONSISTENT ACROSS PEOPLE AND ACROSS PUBLIC HEARINGS.
UM, TONIGHT, AS I SAID, IS A PUBLIC HEARING AN OPPORTUNITY TO VERBALLY GIVE COMMENT INTO THE PUBLIC RECORD, WHICH MEANS THIS IS NOT AN INFORMATION SHARING ME MEETING.
AND THIS IS NOT A Q AND A OPPORTUNITY.
IF, HOWEVER, YOU WANT TO LEARN MORE ABOUT THE PLAN THROUGH PRESENTATIONS, THERE'S A LOT OF RECORDED VIDEOS ON THE PROJECT WEBSITE FROM PAST PUBLIC MEETINGS, AND WE REALLY ENCOURAGE YOU TO LOOK THROUGH THOSE.
THERE ARE ALSO OPPORTUNITIES TO ASK QUESTIONS.
UM, I WANNA HIGHLIGHT ONE, WHICH IS THE, THE FINAL OF NINE OFFICE HOURS THAT THE PROJECT TEAM HAS BEEN OFFERING, WHICH IS GOING TO BE ON OCTOBER 6TH IN THE EVENING.
THERE'S INFORMATION ON THIS ON THE PROJECT WEBSITE AS WELL.
WE ASK YOU TO PLEASE HELP US KIND OF HOLD YOURSELF TO THIS AND OTHERS SO WE CAN GET THROUGH AS MANY PEOPLE WHO WANNA SPEAK AS WE CAN.
WE ARE GOING TO ALTERNATE BETWEEN PEOPLE ONLINE AND IN PERSON IN BATCHES OF FIVE.
SO THAT MEANS WE'RE GONNA TAKE FIVE PEOPLE WITH HANDS UP THAT ARE ON ZOOM.
THEN WE'LL LET, WE'LL QUEUE SO YOU KNOW WHO'S COMING NEXT.
AND THEN WE'LL HAVE FIVE PEOPLE GO IN THE ROOM AND WE'LL HAVE YOU, WE'LL ASK THAT YOU LINE UP ON THAT BENCH BEHIND YOU.
WE'RE JUST TRYING TO MINIMIZE TIME BETWEEN COMMENTS SO WE CAN DO THIS VERY EFFICIENTLY AND GET YOU HOME INTO YOUR FAMILIES.
UM, OKAY, AS WE SAID, THERE'S NO FIXED END TIME.
WE'LL HEAR FROM EVERYONE WHO WANTS TO SPEAK FOR ONE, TWO MINUTE SLOT.
UM, AND THEN IMPORTANTLY, TWO MINUTES IS NOT A LOT OF TIME.
IF YOU HAVE MORE TO SAY ABOUT THIS DRAFT PLAN, BOY WOULD WE LIKE TO HEAR IT AND WE REALLY ENCOURAGE YOU TO SUBMIT WRITTEN COMMENT, UM, WITH THAT INFORMATION.
OKAY, SO HOW TO GET IN THE QUEUE.
SO IF YOU ARE IN PERSON, YOU SHOULD HAVE SEEN ARTIE AT THE DOOR AND YOU CAN SIGN UP ON A COMMENT SHEET.
UM, CAN YOU RAISE YOUR HAND? THANK YOU,
AND IF YOU ARE ONLINE AND YOU WANT TO GIVE COMMENT, PLEASE RAISE YOUR HAND.
WE'LL GO IN THE ORDER OF HANDS RAISED, KEEP YOUR HAND UP SO WE KNOW TO CALL ON YOU UNTIL YOU HAVE SPOKEN.
AND THEN ONCE IT'S YOUR TURN, WE'LL CALL ON YOU, WE'LL PROMOTE YOU, AND THEN YOU'LL HAVE THE OPPORTUNITY TO UNMUTE YOURSELF AND TURN ON YOUR CAMERA AND GIVE YOUR TWO MINUTES OF COMMENT.
UM, RIGHT NOW WE CAN SEE OR HEAR YOU, JUST KNOW THAT, OKAY, NEXT SLIDE.
THIS IS JUST FOR A LITTLE MORE INSTRUCTION FOR THOSE ON ZOOM, YOU SHOULD SEE A LITTLE HAND SIGNAL ON THE BOTTOM OF YOUR SCREEN.
IT MIGHT BE IN THE REACTIONS BUTTON.
IF YOU'RE CALLING IN, UM, DIAL STAR NINE TO, TO RAISE OR LOWER YOUR HAND, AND THEN YOU'LL HAVE TO HIT STAR SIX TO MUTE OR UNMUTE.
AGAIN, IF YOU WANNA LEAVE A WRITTEN COMMENT TODAY, WE ACTUALLY HAVE A LAPTOP SET UP IN THE BACK WITH
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RT, SO THERE'S AN OPPORTUNITY TO USE THAT LAPTOP AND SUBMIT YOUR WRITTEN COMMENT.UM, OR YOU CAN DO IT ON YOUR PHONE BY USING THIS QR CODE, WHICH DIRECTS YOU RIGHT TO THE COMMENT PAGE.
OKAY? AND THEN ONE FINAL REMINDER AND GUIDELINES HERE.
AGAIN, TWO MINUTES, WE WILL BE PRETTY FIRM ON THIS.
UM, WE WILL HAVE A BIG TIMER UP ON SCREEN WITH A TWO MINUTE COUNTDOWN.
UM, AND WE ASK THAT YOU, I THINK THIS IS NEEDED FOR THE PUBLIC RECORD THAT YOU SHARE YOUR NAME, YOUR TOWN, AND YOUR AFFILIATION IF RELEVANT, AND THEN YOUR COMMENT.
SO WE MIGHT STOP TO REMIND YOU.
NAME TOWN AFFILIATION IF RELEVANT.
THERE'S A LITTLE SIGN ON THE PODIUM THAT SAYS THAT TOO, SO WE'LL NEED THAT FOR THE RECORD.
WE'RE LOOKING FORWARD TO HEARING WHAT YOU HAVE TO SAY.
ONA, ANYTHING I FORGOT? NO, I DON'T THINK SO.
OKAY, SO WE'RE GONNA GET STARTED WITH FOLKS ONLINE FIRST, I THINK WE'RE JUST GOING TO DO COMMENT.
SO WE'RE GONNA START WITH FOLKS ONLINE.
SO WE'RE GONNA DO THIS IN BATCHES OF, OH, YOU HAVE TO, IS IT WAKING UP? WE'RE GONNA DO THIS IN BATCHES OF FIVE.
SO WE'RE GONNA START WITH THE PEOPLE WHO HAVE PUT UP THEIR HANDS ONLINE.
IF SOMEBODY ELSE IS ITCHING TO JOIN, NOW IS A GREAT TIME.
WE'RE GONNA GO WITH BETH MOFFIC, THEN LAUREL KANE, JOHN ELLI, THEN CHRISTOPHER LEER, AND THEN JAY GOTH.
AND I'M SORRY, I HAVE A LITTLE COLD.
UM, SO BETH, WE ARE GONNA PROMOTE YOU.
YOU SHOULD BE ABLE TO TURN ON YOUR CAMERA AND UNMUTE YOURSELF.
AND WE, YOU WILL HAVE TWO MINUTES.
YOU SHOULD BE ABLE TO UNMUTE YOURSELF NOW.
BETH MOF, CHECK ARLINGTON TOWN MEETING MEMBER ROSS SEWAGE HURTS EAST ARLINGTON RESIDENTS.
GOVERNOR HEALY HAS SAID THAT THERE WILL NOT BE DATA CENTERS IN COMMUNITIES UNLESS THOSE COMMUNITIES VOTE TO ALLOW DATA CENTERS.
UNLESS THE COMMUNITY VOTES TO BE AN OPEN SEWER, WE SHOULD NOT ALLOW OPEN SEWERS IN COMMUNITIES.
GOVERNOR HEALY'S DRAFT PLAN FOR CSOS IS INADEQUATE AND IT WILL CONTINUE THE RELEASE OF RAW SEWAGE INTO OUR WATER BODIES.
ALEWIFE CHARLES AND MYSTIC, THIS IS DISRESPECTFUL TO THE PUBLIC.
THIS IS DISRESPECTFUL TO THE PUBLIC HEALTH AND DISREGARDS PUBLIC HEALTH MWS PLAN.
THE DRAFT PLAN LEAVES ALEWIFE BROOKE RECEIVING NEARLY 50% MORE CSO VOLUME IN A COMMON FUTURE FIVE YEAR STORM THAN IT RECEIVES TODAY.
THE DRAFT PLAN DOES NOT KEEP UP WITH CLIMATE CHANGE.
PLEASE EVERYONE REFER TO SAVE A WIFE BROOK, SAVE A WIFE BROOKS COMMUNITY PLAN.
THEY HAVE AN IMPRESSIVE BOARD.
THEY STUDIED THE MATH, THE SCIENCE, THE ECONOMICS.
THEY CAME UP WITH WORKABLE SOLUTIONS.
I THANK YOU FOR THE OPPORTUNITY TO SPEAK.
I THINK WE SHOULD NO LONGER SUFFER THE TYRANNY OF BUREAUCRATS WHO NEED TO GO BACK TO THE DRAWING BOARD.
THANK YOU BETH LAUREL KANE, YOU ARE UP NEXT.
UM, PLEASE ACCEPT THE PROMOTION AND YOU SHOULD BE ABLE TO UNMUTE AND TURN ON YOUR CAMERA.
SEE IF YOU CAN TURN ON YOUR CAMERA AND UNMUTE.
UH, SO MY NAME IS LAUREL KANE.
I AM A RESIDENT AND A TOWN MEETING MEMBER IN ARLINGTON.
AND I THANK YOU FOR THE OPPORTUNITY TO SPEAK.
UM, I'VE LIVED HERE A LONG TIME, GREW UP AROUND HERE, AND I, UM, I JUST WANNA SAY FIRST IF I COULD JUST RIDE ON BETH'S COATTAILS.
SHE WAS VERY ARTICULATE AND I ADMIT TO NOT BEING SUPER WELL VERSED IN THIS ISSUE.
UM, BUT I DO FOLLOW IT, UH, LOOSELY.
AND WHEN I GET AN EMAIL THAT SAYS, PLEASE, PLEASE EXPLAIN WHY DUMPING MILLIONS OF GALLONS OF RAW SEWAGE INTO ILLINOIS.
I ASK MYSELF, WHY? WHAT ARE WE DOING HERE? THE GOVERNOR IS PUTTING FORWARD THIS BALLOT QUESTION ON, YOU KNOW, CONSERVING NATURAL RESOURCES.
WHY DON'T WE PROTECT THE NATURAL RESOURCES THAT WE HAVE? WHO THINKS RAW SEWAGE
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IS A GOOD IDEA? I MEAN, WHERE DID THIS, HOW DID WE GET HERE? IT JUST SORT OF DEFIES ALL COMMON SENSE.NEVERMIND IF YOU GO BEYOND COMMON SENSE TO THE, YOU KNOW, RESPONSIBILITIES THAT A GOVERNMENT HAS TO ITS CITIZENS OF KEEPING THEM SAFE FROM SAY, DISEASES THAT ARE CARRIED IN RAW SEWAGE.
WE ALL KNEW FROM COVID THAT THEY WOULD PREDICT THE SURGE BY TESTING THE SEWAGE.
SO JUST LIKE REALLY DO THE RIGHT THING, KEEP OUR ENVIRONMENT CLEAN, KEEP PEOPLE SAFE.
IT'S A GORGEOUS NATURAL RESOURCE.
AND, UM, THE FACT THAT WE'RE ALL HERE BECAUSE OF THE HARD, HARD, TIRELESS, THANKLESS WORK OF VOLUNTEERS WHO ARE CHAMPIONING TO DO THE RIGHT THING, I THINK IS, UM, I MEAN, I'M GRATEFUL FOR THEIR EFFORTS, BUT I ALSO THINK, UM, SHOULDN'T WE BE ABLE TO TRUST OUR GOVERNMENT TO DO THE RIGHT THING, ESPECIALLY HERE IN MASSACHUSETTS WHERE I KNOW PEOPLE ARE GOOD-HEARTED, BUT THIS PARTICULAR PROJECT DOES NOT DEMONSTRATE THAT COMMITMENT.
SO THANK YOU FOR THE OPPORTUNITY TO SPEAK.
I APPRECIATE AND I'LL BE DONE.
JOHN ELLI, YOU ARE OUR NEXT UP.
YOU SHOULD BE ABLE TO TURN ON YOUR CAMERA AND UNMUTE.
WE CAN SEE YOU, BUT WE CANNOT, YOU ARE STILL MUTED.
I LIVE ON SUNNYSIDE AVE IN ARLINGTON, AND THE L WIFE BROOKE IS RIGHT BEHIND MY HOME.
I FIND IT DISGUSTING AND REVOLTING THAT IN 2026 WE STILL HAVE RAW SEWAGE RUNNING IN THE WATERWAY BEHIND MY HOME.
IN THE PAST, I'VE EXPERIENCED OVERFLOW INTO MY HOUSE IN IT.
BASICALLY IT CARRIES DISEASE AND IT COSTS YOU MONEY AND TIME TO CLEAN IT UP.
I HATE TOO THAT WHEN I HAVE MY GRANDCHILDREN OR FRIENDS OVER, I HAVE TO SAY, DON'T GO NEAR THE WATER AND EXPLAIN TO THEM THAT THERE IS RAW SEWAGE RUNNING THERE.
IN THIS DAY AND AGE, BASICALLY I JUST SAY IT'S TIME TO CUT THE CROP AND CLEAN UP THE WATER.
UM, FOR THOSE OF YOU IN THE ROOM, I'M JUST GONNA PAUSE AND TELL YOU THE ORDER.
I THINK YOU WERE MAYBE TRACKING WHAT NUMBER YOU SIGNED UP NEXT TO, BUT IT WILL BE THE F BATCH OF FIVE AFTER TWO MORE SPEAKERS ONLINE WILL BE ROB MOYER.
THEN UM, NONI VALENTINE, DAVIDOFF THIRD, ANDREW ENA FOURTH, AND EMILY NORTON FIFTH.
SO THAT'LL BE UP AFTER TWO MORE ONLINE SPEAKERS.
SO NEXT IS CHRISTOPHER LEER, AND THEN WE'RE GONNA HAVE JAY GOOSE AFTER CHRISTOPHER.
CHRISTOPHER, CAN YOU TURN ON YOUR CAMERA AND UNMUTE? YES.
I AM A CIVIL ENGINEER THAT LIVES IN MOULDEN, MASSACHUSETTS.
UM, I ROUTINELY RECREATE ON THE MOULDEN AND ALEWIFE MOULDEN IN THE MOLDEN MYSTIC AND ALEWIFE BROOK AREA.
UM, AND YOU KNOW, IT'S KIND OF UNCONSCIOUS IN THIS DAY AND AGE THAT, UH, WE DO HAVE RAW SEWAGE FLOWING IN OUR RIVERS.
IT'S, UH, YOU KNOW, THERE'S A LONG HISTORY AND LEGACY OF, UH, YOU KNOW, COMBINED SEWERS AND THE HISTORY OF, OF THE DEVELOPMENT IN THE CITY OF BOSTON AND ALL THAT.
BUT, UH, IT'S REALLY AN OPPORTUNITY TO ENGAGE IN INFRASTRUCTURE REVITALIZATION AND TO CREATE, FRANKLY, A LOT OF JOBS AND A REALLY COOL MASTER PLAN AND TO HAVE A MUCH, MUCH BETTER AND HEALTHIER CITY.
UM, I REALLY LOOK FORWARD TO THE DAY WHERE, YOU KNOW, YOU COULD SWIM IN THE CHARLES IN THE, AND THE MYSTIC RIVER, UH, NOT JUST, YOU KNOW, ONCE A DAY, YOU KNOW, ONCE, ONCE A YEAR ON LIKE THE, UM, YOU KNOW, CHARLES RIVER SWIM.
SO I ADVOCATE FOR, YOU KNOW, THE, THE MYSTIC RIVER WATERSHED ASSOCIATIONS PLAN, THE SAVIOR WHITE BROOKS PLAN, UH, YOU KNOW, DESIGN FOR A 25 YEAR DISCHARGE PERIOD.
UM, JAY GUT IS THE LAST ONLINE SPEAKER IN THIS BATCH OF FIVE, UM, FOLKS ONLINE.
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IF YOU WANT TO GET IN THE QUEUE, BUT AFTER THE SPEAKER WILL SWITCH TO THE IN-PERSON FOR THE PEOPLE WHO ARE FIRST, I THINK YOU'RE ALL PRETTY CLOSE TO THE PODIUM.IT'S GONNA BE OVER HERE FOR THOSE OF YOU
I LIVE IN BROOKLINE, MASSACHUSETTS.
I'M HERE AS A CHRONICALLY ILL RESIDENT OF THE BOSTON AREA.
UM, AND AS A SICK PERSON WHO SUDDENLY BECAME DISABLED IN MY THIRTIES, UM, I AM HERE TO SAY THAT, YOU KNOW, ALL WE REALLY HAVE AT THE END OF THE DAY IS OUR HEALTH POLLUTERS ARE ALWAYS GOING TO SAY IT'S CHEAPER TO POLLUTE, BUT THE COST GOES DOWNSTREAM TO ALL THE PEOPLE AND ANIMALS AND PLANTS AND ECOSYSTEMS THAT HAVE TO PAY FOR THAT WITH THEIR HEALTH.
AND THERE'S NO AMOUNT OF MONEY AT A CERTAIN POINT THAT CAN CLEAN THAT UP.
WE CAN HAVE A FUTURE WHERE ALL OF THE INCREASED FLOODING THAT'S PREDICTED TO HAPPEN BECAUSE OF CLIMATE CHANGE JUDGES UP SEWAGE ALL OVER CAMBRIDGE AND BOSTON AND WATERTOWN.
OR WE CAN CONTINUE TO INVEST IN ALL OF THE GREAT WAYS THAT HAVE ALREADY BEEN PUT INTO CLEANING UP THE RIVER AND PUT THIS ONE LAST PUSH IN AND HAVE A FUTURE WHERE INSTEAD WE COULD SWIM AND HAVE FISH SHACKS AND, UM, SAVE THE FUTURE RESIDENTS OF BOSTON FROM HAVING TO PAY FOR THIS POLLUTION.
ROB MOYER IS NEXT UP AND AFTER ROB IS NONI AND YOU WILL HAVE TO TURN ON THE MIC, WHICH IS JUST HITTING A BUTTON THAT SAYS PUSH RIGHT IN THE CENTER.
HELLO, I'M ROB MOYER FROM THE OCEAN RIVER INSTITUTE IN CAMBRIDGE, MASSACHUSETTS.
I FULLY SUPPORT THE PROPOSED GRAY INFRASTRUCTURE WITH MUCH STILL TO BE DONE.
I ALSO SUPPORT EVALUATING LIVING FOREST INFRASTRUCTURE TO COMPLEMENT IT AND TO PICK UP WHERE THE GRAY INFRASTRUCTURE LEAVES OFF.
A FORESTED LEACH FIELD COULD BE PILOTED ON THE CAMBRIDGE UPLAND A ALONG ALEWIFE BROOK BETWEEN ROUTE TWO AND MASS AVE.
BETWEEN THE PARKWAY AND THE BROOK LIES ABOUT 60,000 SQUARE FEET OF MOWED GRASS THAT COULD POTENTIALLY SUPPORT ABOUT 25,000 NATIVE TREES AND SHRUB LINGS.
A PUMPING STATION COULD PRETREAT AND LIFT A PORTION OF THE CSO WATER TO THE ALEWIFE LIVING FOREST REGULATING THE RATE AT WHICH WATER ENTERS THE FOREST RATHER THAN SUBJECTING IT TO THE FULL PULSE OF A CSO EVENT.
MUCH AS IN A CONVENTIONAL LEACH FIELD, THE WATER COULD BE DISTRIBUTED UNDERGROUND WHERE SOIL WOULD PROVIDE FURTHER TREATMENT WHILE SUPPORTING THOUSANDS OF NATIVE TREES AND SHRUBS.
THE ALEWIFE LIVING FOREST COULD PROVIDE MANY PUBLIC BENEFITS BEYOND TREATING CSO WATER HABITAT SHADE AND SUMMER COOLING, CLEANER AIR, QUIETER SURROUNDINGS, STORM WATER INTERCEPTION, AND A HEALTHIER AND MORE BEAUTIFUL ALEWIFE GREEN WAY.
PLANTING THOUSANDS OF NATIVE SAPLINGS WOULD BE AN INVESTMENT NOT JUST IN TODAY'S INFRASTRUCTURE, BUT IN A FOREST THAT COULD GROW AND MATURE FOR GENERATIONS.
AND THEN DAVID, STAFF WILL BE UP NEXT.
HI, NONI VALENTINE, CAMBRIDGE.
I'M HERE PRESSING FOR FULL SEWER SEPARATION AND THE KIND OF PLANNING THAT CATCHES UP WITH CLIMATE REALITY BY JOINING UP GRAY INFRASTRUCTURE WITH GREEN OR LIVING INFRASTRUCTURE LIKE THE BEAUTIFUL WETLAND ALREADY AT WHALE ALEWIFE.
WHY NOT BE PIONEERING CITIES THAT TURN AROUND THE STIGMA OF CSOS INTO DESIGN AROUND LIVING SYSTEMS? WETLANDS ARE THAT RESTORING NATURAL BALANCE, INCLUDING A HEALTHY WATER CYCLE FOR THE LONG TERM.
CONCRETE STORAGE TANKS HOLD WATER, YES, BUT CAN OVERFLOW LIVING SYSTEMS ARE DYNAMIC AND SELF SCALING WETLANDS ARE NATURAL SHOCK ABSORBERS, NATIVE SEDGES RUSHES AND DEEP-ROOTED WETLAND TREES.
SLOW DOWN STORM WATER, SPREADING IT ACROSS THE LANDSCAPE AND ALLOWING IT TO INFILTRATE THE GROUND.
THIS LOWERS THE PEAK VOLUME OF WATER RUSHING INTO SEWER SYSTEMS. DURING INTENSE RAIN, A WETLAND IS ACTIVE AS A LIVING FILTER.
MICROORGANISMS AND ROOT ZONES OF PLANTS BREAK DOWN HYDROCARBONS, TRAP HEAVY METALS AND NEUTRALIZE HARMFUL PATHOGENS.
CATTAIL AND PICCO RE WEED TAKE UP PHOSPHORUS AND NITROGEN, FOR EXAMPLE, FROM URBAN RUNOFF CLEANING WATER BEFORE IT REACHES THE RIVER.
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WHEN A PERSON STOPS AT THE EXISTING WETLAND AT ALEWIFE IN SUMMER? IT'S ALIVE WITH BIODIVERSITY.THEY'RE CAUGHT BY THE SCARLET OF CARDINAL FLOUR AND THE TALL JOE PIE WEED.
THE FLICK OF THE DAMSEL FLIES SKIMMING THE WATER, THE SOUND OF BEES, AND THE BASE OF THE BULLFROG.
THEY STOP, THEY BREATHE OUT, THEY LOOK AROUND, THEY SLIDE THE PHONE INTO A BACK POCKET, A WETLAND BRINGS THEM RIGHT INTO THE RHYTHMS OF A LIVING ECOSYSTEM.
WHAT IF WE DARE TO PLAN SMARTER AND MORE BEAUTIFULLY? THANK YOU.
UH, BEFORE I BEGIN MY COMMENT, I JUST WANNA SAY THAT, UM, I'M TROUBLED BY CBIS ROLE IN THIS PROCESS.
UH, MASS D P'S WATER QUALITY STANDARDS VARIANCE ALLOWS FOR MEANINGFUL PUBLIC PARTICIPATION AND CERTAINLY FEDERAL WATER QUALITY STANDARDS REGULATIONS REQUIRE HEARINGS.
TO ME, THAT MEANS A HEARING BEFORE A REGULATOR AND, UH, A HEARING RUN BY A PROJECT CONSULTANT IS NOT THAT.
SO WITH THAT, I'M DAVID STAFF.
I LIVE AT 88 FAIRMONT STREET IN ARLINGTON.
I'M ABOUT 700 FEET DOWNSTREAM FROM TWO CSOS THAT ROUTINELY DISCHARGE RAW SEWAGE.
I'M ON THE STEERING COMMITTEE OF SAVE THE EL WIFE BROOK, AND I'M A RETIRED ATTORNEY.
MY FIRST HEARING ABOUT EL WIFE CSOS WAS IN 1998, AND I'VE SEEN THE TARGET FOR CSOS SLIDE FROM 3 MILLION IN ABOUT 1997, THAT PLAN TO 7.4 IN 2002.
AND NOW MWA WANTS US TO ACCEPT 9 MILLION GALLONS AS A STARTING POINT.
THIS PLAN IS REALLY TWO PLANS, UH, AN EVALUATION OF ALTERNATIVES FOR CSO CONTROL AND ANOTHER PORTION THAT PRESENTS INFORMATION FOR THE WATER QUALITY STANDARD FOR ALL OUR WATERS, UH, VARIANCE WATERS, BUT PARTICULARLY AL WIFE BROOK, WHICH IS MY CONCERN.
AND THE PLAN WILL HAVE TO MEET THAT WATER QUALITY STANDARD.
I CARE ABOUT THE WATER QUALITY STANDARD, AND I THINK THIS PLAN IS INADEQUATE.
SO I TOOK THIS, UH, WIDELY, UH, CIRCULATED PHOTOGRAPH FROM BEHIND MY HOUSE SHOWING PEOPLE GOING THROUGH SEWAGE.
I GOT SICK AFTER I TOOK THIS PHOTO.
UH, AND I DON'T THINK THAT SHOULD HAPPEN TO PEOPLE AT THE VARIANCE HEARING.
I SAID I THOUGHT DEP WOULD MOVE AGGRESSIVELY TOWARD A WATER QUALITY STANDARD THAT PROTECTED PUBLIC HEALTH, BUT I THINK THAT I WAS WRONG.
SO I WANT TO ASK YOU, WHAT KIND OF FUTURE DOES THIS PLAN CREATE? AND I THINK IT CREATES ONE IN WHICH THE L WIFE BROOK IS A SERIES OF STAGNANT POOLS THAT IS PERIODICALLY WASHED BY RAW SEWAGE, EVEN IN THE FACE OF A SEDIMENT STUDY THAT SHOWED HOW FAST THE L WIFE WAS FILLING THE PROJECT TEAM HAS REFUSED TO UPDATE THEIR WATER QUALITY MODEL FOR FUTURE AND PRESENT CHANNEL CONDITIONS.
THERE WILL BE A FINAL CLIENT PLAN, EXCUSE ME, AND IN IT I HOPE IMPROVING WATER QUALITY IN THE BROOK THROUGH RESTORATION EFFORTS, NOT JUST POURING CONCRETE.
I'M TRYING TO LEMME YOU FINISH YOUR SENTENCE.
AT THE END OF THE PROJECT, WE SHOULD BE ABLE TO BE PROUD OF WHAT WE'VE BUILT.
NOT SAY IT WAS A MISSED OPPORTUNITY.
UM, PEOPLE ONLINE A REMINDER OF HOW TO RAISE YOUR VIRTUAL HAND.
IF YOU WOULD LIKE TO SHARE COMMENT TONIGHT, THERE'S A LITTLE ZOOM HAND FEATURE AT THE BOTTOM OF YOUR SCREEN THAT YOU CAN CLICK ON, AND IF YOU ARE ON THE PHONE AND CALLING IN, YOU HIT STAR NINE.
THANK YOU TO RAISE YOUR HAND, ANDY, PLEASE.
SI LIVE IN CAMBRIDGE, BUT I'M SPEAKING AS A WATER QUALITY PROGRAM MANAGER AT THE MYSTIC RIVER WATERSHED ASSOCIATION.
UM, WE BELIEVE THAT THE DESIGN GOAL FOR THESE PROJECTS SHOULD BE THE VIRTUAL ELIMINATION OF CSOS FROM ALL THREE WATER BODIES AND THAT THE CURRENT PROPOSAL STOPS DRAMATICALLY.
WE BELIEVE THE REPORT ITSELF ON ITS OWN TERMS SHOWS THAT MUCH MORE AMBITIOUS PLANS ARE BOTH TECHNICALLY AND ECONOMICALLY FEASIBLE.
WE THINK THE CLEAN WATER ACT DEMANDS MORE AMBITIOUS PLANS THAT PUBLIC HEALTH DOES, AND WE WILL BE SUBMITTING DETAILED COMMENTS IN WRITING, MAKING THAT CASE.
BUT I ALSO WANTED TO STEP BACK AND SAY WHY WE'RE IN THIS PUBLIC CONVERSATION IN THE FIRST PLACE.
WE'RE A SMALL NONPROFIT THAT REPRESENTS THOUSANDS OF PEOPLE, PEOPLE WHO DONATE, WHO VOLUNTEER, WHO DEARLY CARE ABOUT LIVING NEXT TO A THRIVING MYSTIC RIVER AND ALEWIFE BROOK.
THOUSANDS OF VOLUNTEERS WORK WITH US TO REMOVE INVASIVE PLANTS, TALK TO LEGISLATORS, JOIN PADDLING EVENTS ON THE RIVER, AND COUNT THE HUNDREDS OF THOUSANDS OF RIVER HERRING IN INCLUDING ALEWIFE WHO MAKE REMARKABLE THE REMARKABLE ANNUAL
[00:30:01]
WILDLIFE MIGRATION FROM THE ATLANTIC UNDER THE TOBIN BRIDGE PAST SOMERVILLE AND AS HIGH AS HORN POND AND WOBURN CITIES CHANGE RIVERS, I ALWAYS POINT OUT, BUT WE ALSO KNOW HOW VALUABLE URBAN RIVERS ARE TO THE THOU, TO THOUSANDS OF PEOPLE, INCLUDING YOUNG PEOPLE WHO LIVE NEAR THEM, RUN ALONGSIDE THEM, PADDLE DOWN THEM.WE'RE CONVINCED THAT BOSTON'S OWN HISTORY, ESPECIALLY THE FAMOUSLY EFFECTIVE AND ECONOMY ENHANCING CLEANUP OF BOSTON HARBOR SHOWS THAT WE CAN LIVE DENSELY IN CITIES ALONGSIDE THRIVING LIVING SYSTEMS. IF WE COME UP WITH CREATIVE WAYS TO DO SO, WE CALL ON DECISION MAKERS TO EMBRACE THIS CHANCE TO TRULY MODERNIZE OUR CITY'S INFRASTRUCTURE IN A WAY THAT MAKES IT RESILIENT TO CLIMATE CHANGE, PROTECTS PEOPLE'S HEALTH AND RESTORES THE ECOSYSTEMS AND PUBLIC SPACES ON THE WATER THAT SO MANY PEOPLE VALUE.
I LIVE IN NEWTON, BUT I'M HERE, UM, AS THE EXECUTIVE DIRECTOR OF THE CHARLES RIVER WATERSHED ASSOCIATION.
SO, UM, THE CLEAN WATER ACT OF 1972 PROMISED, PROMISED FISHABLE SWIMMABLE RIVERS.
BY 1983, THE CLEAN CHARLES INITIATIVE OF 1995 PROMISED A SWIMMABLE CHARLES BY 2005.
YET HERE WE ARE 20 YEARS LATER, STILL TREATING THE RIVER LIKE A TOILET.
THE MASSACHUSETTS DEP CLASSIFIES THE CHARLES AS A CLASS B WATER BODY, WHICH MEANS IT MUST BE SAFE FOR FISH, FOR WILDLIFE, AND FOR PEOPLE TO USE FOR SWIMMING, BOATING, AND FISHING.
YET THE PLAN BEING RECOMMENDED DOES NOT DO THAT.
DOES THE LAW MEAN ANYTHING ANYMORE? AT LEAST HERE IN MASSACHUSETTS, THEY COULD DO IT IF THEY WANTED.
THEY ACTUALLY LAID OUT A YEAR AGO HOW THEY COULD DO IT.
IT'S GOT SEWER SEPARATION, STORAGE TANKS, AND GREEN INFRASTRUCTURE.
SO IT'S NOT LIKE THE PARTIES DON'T KNOW HOW TO DO IT, THEY JUST DON'T WANT TO, AND THEY THINK THE PUBLIC DOESN'T CARE.
I'M HERE TO SAY ON BEHALF OF THE 1 MILLION PLUS RESIDENTS OF THE CHARLES RIVER WATERSHED, WE DO CARE.
WE SAY, FINISH THE JOB, DO YOUR JOB, STOP TREATING THE CHARLES LIKE A TOILET.
IT'S EMBARRASSING FOR OUR STATE AND FOR YOUR LEGACY.
WE ARE NOW GONNA GO TO ONLINE COMMENTS.
UM, WE HAVE IN THE QUEUE, LET'S SEE IF I CAN SEE, UM, GEORGE LATE AND THEN STEVE SCH SNAPAPP, AND THEN MICHAEL MCKENZIE.
THOSE ARE THE THREE PEOPLE WHOSE HANDS ARE UP AT THE MOMENT ONLINE FOLKS, AGAIN, IF YOU'D LIKE TO SHARE YOUR THOUGHTS, WE'RE VERY HAPPY TO HEAR THEM.
UM, YOU JUST NEED TO RAISE YOUR VIRTUAL HAND SO WE KNOW TO CALL ON YOU.
UM, STEVE SCHNAPP, WE ARE GONNA PROMOTE, OH, GEORGE, SORRY, IT CHANGED IN FRONT OF MY EYES.
GEORGE, PLEASE GO AHEAD GEORGE.
OH, YOU'RE GONNA HAVE TO UNMUTE YOURSELF AND THEN TURN ON YOUR VIDEO.
UH, I'VE LIVED ON, MY NAME IS GEORGE LATE AND I HAVE LIVED ON LAFAYETTE STREET IN EAST ARLINGTON, UH, STONE'S THROW FROM AL WHITE BROOK FOR OVER 40 YEARS.
AND IN THAT TIME PERIOD I'VE WATCHED AS AL WHITE BROOK HAS DIED, A SLOW INCREMENTAL DEATH, A DEATH BY A THOUSAND CUTS, THE RESULT OF OFFICIAL INACTION BY THE MASSACHUSETTS WATER RESOURCES AUTHORITY.
AND I PUT THE BURDEN ON THE MWRA AS THAT IS THE AGENCY RESPONSIBLE, UH, TO EN ENACT THE FEDERAL COURT ORDER AND VARIANCE.
AND TODAY, THE MWRA WISHES TO CONTINUE WITH THE POLICY OF BENIGN NEGLECT BY PUTTING A BANDAID ON A RIVER IN DESPERATE NEED OF RADICAL LIFE SUPPORT.
AND THAT BANDAID IS THE LONG-TERM CONTROL PLAN.
IN THE LATE 1980S, MY NEIGHBORS WHO LIVED NEARBY FISHED IN THE BROOK, OFTEN CATCHING FISH, MOSTLY CARP.
MOST OF THOSE NEIGHBORS LIVED NEARBY IN PUBLIC HOUSING AND OFTEN HAD LIMITED ABILITY TO UNDERSTAND ENGLISH.
THEY WERE AND STILL ARE, MEMBERS OF ENVIRONMENTAL JUSTICE COMMUNITIES WHICH HAVE, BUT THE BROOK IN ARLINGTON, CAMBRIDGE AND SOMERVILLE, THEY CAUGHT FISH.
I'M SORRY, TODAY YOU RARELY SEE ANYONE FISHING IN AL WIFE BROOK AND THE AL WIFE NO LONGER SWIM UPSTREAM TO SPAWN.
IN FACT, FEW OF MY NEIGHBORS EVEN KNOW THERE WERE ONCE FISH AND AL WIFE BROOK, NEVERMIND AL WIFE, WE RESIDENTS HAVE BECOME ACCUSTOMED TO A DYING BROOK, HAVING NEVER KNOWN ANYTHING ELSE.
TO QUOTE TOM, OSHA, THE COMMISSIONER OF THE MASSACHUSETTS DEPARTMENT OF FISH AND GAME.
UH, THIS REALITY IS CALLED THE SHIFTING BASELINE SYNDROME.
IT MEANS, AGAIN, TO QUOTE TOM, IT MEANS THAT EACH GENERATION ACCEPTS A DEGRADED ENVIRONMENT AND THEY INHERIT IT AS NORMAL.
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LEMME REPEAT THAT.IT MEANS THAT EACH GENERATION ACCEPTS A DEGRADED ENVIRONMENT AND THEY INHERIT IT.
AS NORMAL AS EL WHITE BROOKS SLOWLY DIES, EACH GENERATION WILL ACCEPT THAT THE CONDITION OF THE DYING RIVER IS HOW IT HAS ALWAYS BEEN.
IT'S TIME FOR AROU CITIZENRY, CITIZENRY TO PUT A STOP TO THE CONTINUED DEGRADATION OF WHAT IS AN IMPORTANT RIVER, REJECT THE PROPOSED LONG-TERM CONTROL PLAN AND DEMAND VIRTUAL CSO IN THE NATION FOR THE GOOD OF OUR RIVER AND COMMUNITIES.
STEVE SCHNAPP, YOU ARE UP NEXT AND THEN IT WILL BE MICHAEL MCKENZIE.
STEVE, DO YOU WANNA, YOU'RE GONNA, WE'RE GONNA INVITE YOU AGAIN, YOU HAVE TO SORT OF ACCEPT TO BE PROMOTED SO THAT WE CAN HEAR YOU AND SEE YOU IF YOU'D LIKE THERE.
I WAS A RESIDENT OF NORTH CAMBRIDGE, UH, FOR 34 YEARS.
UH, BEEN LIVING IN MEDFORD SQUARE SINCE, UH, 2011.
UM, THIS CURRENT PLAN, UH, DRAFT PLAN DOES NOT RESULT IN ELIMINATING SEWAGE FROM PUBLIC RECREATIONAL SPACES.
RESIDENTS AND VISITORS DESERVE NOTHING LESS THAN A NON-TOXIC ENVIRONMENT TO WALK AND BIKE AND SPEND TIME IN.
I WANNA THANK THE RESIDENTS, UH, THE ACTIVIST RESIDENTS OF CAMBRIDGE, SOMERVILLE, MEDFORD, ARLINGTON AND BEYOND FOR CONTINUING TO ADVOCATE FOR A SOLUTION THAT REMOVES SEWAGE FROM OUR RECREATIONAL SPACES.
WELL, MICHAEL IS GETTING SET UP.
I'M GONNA SAY THEN WE'RE GOING BACK INTO THE ROOM INTO IN-PERSON COMMENTS, SO THAT IT'S GONNA BE JULIE WOOD AND THEN KRISTEN ANDERSON AFTER MICHAEL.
CAN YOU SEE ME NOW? CAN YOU HEAR ME? WE CAN, YES.
THANK YOU FOR ALLOWING ME TO SPEAK.
MY NAME IS MICHAEL MCKENZIE AND I'M A CAMBRIDGE RESIDENT.
AND I, I'M CHRONICALLY ILL AND LIVE WITH A POWER WHEELCHAIR AND HOSPITAL BED.
I ACTUALLY LIVE RIGHT HERE AT LF BROOK.
I'M MOVED TO THIS SECTION OF THE CITY ABOUT THREE OR FOUR YEARS AGO.
IN 2003, I TAKE DAILY PHOTOS AND NOT, I WAS NOT AWARE, BUT I BECAME AWARE BECAUSE I FIRSTHAND SAW OVER THE PAST THREE YEARS MY DAILY ENCOUNTERS WITH WILDLIFE AND THE PATTERNS THAT HAVE CHANGED EVERY DAY.
I'VE TAKEN FOOTAGE NIGHT AND DAY, AND I STARTED TO WATER THE MONITOR LEVELS OF MORE NOTICE THE LAST 18 MONTHS THAT THE WATER LEVELS WERE GOING DOWN, THE BIRDS WERE LITERALLY DYING.
WE'RE SUPPOSED TO BE STEWARDS OF THE EARTH AND FOR ALL THE SCIENCE AND TECHNOLOGY WE HAVE, WE STILL ARE LIVING LIKE WE'RE IN THE STONE AGE.
NATURAL RESOURCES ARE NOT SOMETHING TO BE EXPLOITED.
AND I'M GONNA KEEP IT BRIEF AND JUST PAUSE ON THAT.
IT'S A DISRESPECT TO MOTHER NATURE AND I'M GONNA STOP THERE.
THERE ARE NO MORE HANDS UP RIGHT NOW IN THE, FROM VIRTUAL PARTICIPANTS.
SO NEXT UP ARE THE FIVE IN-PERSON PARTICIPANTS.
I'M GONNA READ YOUR NUMBERS OUT JUST SO YOU KNOW THE ORDER AND WHO'S COMING BEFORE YOU.
SO IT'LL BE JULIE WOOD AND THEN KRISTEN ANDERSON.
MICHAEL LINEO, COLE GRAHAM AND THEN RACHEL.
I'M JULIE WOODS SOMERVILLE, BUT I'M HERE SPEAKING AS THE CHIEF PROGRAM OFFICER AT THE CHARLES RIVER WATERSHED ASSOCIATION.
I'VE BEEN INVOLVED IN THIS PRO PROCESS FROM THE VERY BEGINNING.
CAN'T BELIEVE IT'S BEEN FIVE YEARS.
UM, ENDING CSOS IS A TOP PRIORITY FOR CHARLES RIVER WATERSHED ASSOCIATION, NOT ONLY BECAUSE IT PROTECTS THE HEALTH OF THE RIVER AND NEIGHBORING RESIDENTS, BUT ALSO BECAUSE IT'S THE ONLY INVESTMENT THAT MAKES SENSE FOR OUR REGION AND THE RIGHT PAYERS WHO WILL FUND THIS WORK.
THE PLAN PROPOSED BY THE PARTIES IS PRESENTED AS A COMPROMISE, BUT
[00:40:01]
THE TRUTH OF THE PLAN PUT FORWARD BY THE PARTIES IS THAT WILL IT WILL BE OUT OF DATE AS SOON AS THE WORK IS COMPLETE.THE PREFERRED ALTERNATIVE TITLED ZERO CSOS IN A TYPICAL YEAR DOES NOT MEAN CSOS.
THE PARTY'S OWN ANALYSIS SHOWS THAT IN REAL WORLD CONDITIONS, ONLY FOUR YEARS OUT OF 10 40% OF THE TIME WILL HAVE NO CSOS PLAN.
FIGURE 10 DASH EIGHT SHOWS THAT IF THE PROPOSED WORK HAD BEEN COMPLETED IN 2014, THE SUBSEQUENT 20 YEAR, 10 YEARS FROM 2015 TO 2024 WOULD HAVE ONLY FOUR YEARS WITH ZERO CSOS, SIX YEARS WITH SEWAGE RAW DISCHARGE INTO THE RIVER.
THE WORK WAS NOT DONE IN 2014.
AND IN FACT, THE BEST CASE SCENARIO IS IT WILL BE DONE IN 2050.
IF WE ASSUME THE FORWARD LOOKING RAINFALL CONDITIONS EXTEND OUT TO 2069 AS YOUR PLAN END DATE INDICATES.
THE BEST CASE SCENARIO IS WE GET 19 YEARS WITH THIS LEVEL OF CONTROL, 40% OF THE TIME HAVING NO CSOS DOING THE MATH.
THIS PROPOSAL AMOUNTS TO SPENDING $1.3 BILLION TO GET SEVEN OR EIGHT YEARS WITH NO CSO DISCHARGES.
WHILE WE WELCOME SEVEN OR EIGHT CSO FOR YEARS, THIS DOES NOT MAXIMIZE THE BENEFIT.
WE ACKNOWLEDGE THE COST OF ELIMINATION IS LARGER, BUT THE PLAN IS NOT BEING TRANSPARENT ABOUT THE BENEFITS, PARTICULARLY WHEN IT COMES TO CLIMATE CHANGE.
JUST END THIS PROBLEM NOW MODERNIZE OUR INFRASTRUCTURE.
END SEWAGE JUMPING IN THE CHARLES STOP PUSHING.
INEFFECTIVE OUT OF DATE HALF SOLUTIONS.
NEXT UP KRISTEN, AND THEN IT WILL BE MICHAEL AFTER KRISTEN.
UH, MY NAME IS KRISTEN ANDERSON.
I LIVE IN ARLINGTON AND I AM A STEERING COMMITTEE MEMBER, UH, FROM ELWAY, UH, SAVE THE LIFE BROOK.
UM, EL WIFE BROOK FLOODS REGULARLY.
I HAVE HAD THAT FLOOD WATER IN MY HOME.
THIS IS FLOOD WATER THAT CAME IN THROUGH THE BACK DOOR AND STAYED IN MY HOUSE OVERNIGHT.
IT'S HAPPENED, IT HAPPENED MULTIPLE TIMES.
I DIDN'T KNOW WHAT WAS IN THE WATER.
MY NEIGHBORS DID NOT KNOW WHAT WAS IN THE WATER.
UM, AND WE GOT SICK WITH PAINFUL CRAMPS, UM, FEVER AND BLOODY DIARRHEA.
AND I DON'T WANT THIS TO HAPPEN TO ANYBODY ELSE.
THE DRAFT PLAN IS DESIGNED TO ALLOW SEWAGE DISCHARGE VOLUMES THAT ARE 50% WORSE IN COMMON FUTURE FIVE YEAR STORM EVENTS THAN THEY ARE IN TWO DAYS, FIVE YEAR STORM EVENTS.
A FIVE YEAR STORM EVENT HAS A 20% CHANCE OF HAPPENING IN ANY GIVEN YEAR.
IT IS COMMON, SO CONDITIONS IN THE FUTURE AT ALEWIFE BROOK WILL BE MUCH WORSE THAN THEY ARE TODAY BECAUSE THE DRAFT PLAN WAS NOT ENGINEERED TO KEEP UP WITH CLIMATE CHANGE IMPACTS.
THE DRAFT PLAN IS DESIGNED TO DISCHARGE MORE RAW SEWAGE IN THE EXACT SAME SIZE STORMS THAT ARE MOST LIKELY TO RESULT IN ALEWIFE BROOK FLOODING.
IN 2023, ALEWIFE BROOK FLOODED OVER ITS BANK FIVE TIMES A ONE YEAR STORM EVENT OR LESS IS THE SIZE STORM THAT CAUSED FLOODING AT ALEWIFE BROOK IN 2023.
WE NEED A PLAN THAT ENGINEERS AN END TO DUMPING OF UNTREATED SEWAGE IN OUR RIVERS.
WE NEED A PLAN THAT FOCUSES ON SEWER SEPARATION AND GREEN STORM WATER INFRASTRUCTURE.
AND MOST OF ALL, WE NEED TO STOP MAKING PEOPLE SICK BY DUMPING SEWAGE IN OUR RIVERS.
THANK YOU, KRISTEN, MICHAEL, AND THEN COAL.
I AM A MEMBER OF THE STEERING COMMITTEE OF SAVE THE O WIFE BROOK.
UH, BUT I AM, WHICH WILL BE SUBMITTING EXTENSIVE COMMENTS I'M SURE GOING FORWARD.
UH, BUT THESE ARE MY PERSONAL COMMENTS.
AS A SOMERVILLE RESIDENT AND NEIGHBOR OF THE LIF BROOK FOR THE PAST 14 YEARS, AND MY COMMENT ONLY REFERS TO THE LIF PART OF THE PLAN.
IN THOSE 14 YEARS, THE CONDITION OF THE BROOK HAS VISIBLY DEGRADED.
AS OUR CHANGING CLIMATE HAS LED TO BOTH LARGER AND MORE FREQUENT STORMS, AS WELL AS LONGER AND MORE FREQUENT DROUGHTS, WE HAVE EXPERIENCED LARGER AND MORE FREQUENT SEWAGE OVERFLOWS LEADING TO BOTH SHORT-TERM AND LONG-TERM DAMAGE TO THE STREAM AND ITS WILDLIFE AS WELL AS STENCH.
THAT IS BOTH AN IMMEDIATE CONSEQUENCE OF CSOS AND PERSISTENT STENCH.
WHEN THE SEWAGE FLATS ARE EXPOSED BY LOW WATER DURING DROUGHTS, THE DRAFT UPDATED LONG-TERM CONTROL PLAN IS INADEQUATE AS A SOLUTION TO THIS PROBLEM.
THE PLANNING PARTNER'S OWN ANALYSIS SHOWS THAT THE CURRENT PLAN HAD, IF IT HAD BEEN IMPLEMENTED BEFORE THE 10 YEARS THAT WERE STUDIED IN URINALYSIS, IT WOULD'VE DECREASED CSO FREQUENCY AND VOLUME, BUT NOT ELIMINATED THEM IN THE PAST.
EVEN THE CLIMATE IS STILL CHANGES, AS OTHERS HAVE STATED.
THERE WILL BE MUCH GREATER, UH, THERE WILL BE MUCH LARGER STORMS AND MORE
[00:45:01]
FREQUENT DROUGHTS TO COME.UM, SO BY THE TIME THIS IS DONE IN, IN OR BEFORE 2050, UH, WE'LL BE BACK WHERE WE STARTED.
SO THIS DOESN'T MEET EITHER THE LETTER OR THE SPIRIT OF THE CLEAN WATER ACT.
THIS PLAN SHOULD BE REJECTED BY THE REGULATORS AND REPLACED WITH A PLAN THAT ELIMINATES OR VIRTUALLY ELIMINATES RAW SEWAGE POLLUTION IN THE L WIFE.
THIS PLAN DOES NEITHER AND LEAVES US TREADING SEWAGE LADEN WATER.
UH, THANK YOU FOR THE OPPORTUNITY TO SPEAK.
I'M A FAMILY MEDICINE PHYSICIAN, CLIMATE POLICY FELLOW AND RESIDENT OF SOMERVILLE.
I'M SPEAKING TODAY AS A CONCERNED CITIZEN IN SUPPORT OF AN IMPROVED CSO CONTROL PLAN THAT WOULD ELIMINATE SEWAGE OVERFLOWS INTO THE MYSTIC CHARLES AND ALEWIFE BROOK.
I FREQUENTLY RECREATE ALONG THESE WATERWAYS AND I'M GRATEFUL TO HAVE ACCESS TO BEAUTIFUL NATURAL SPACES WITHIN OUR OTHERWISE URBANIZED ENVIRONMENT.
AS A PRIMARY CARE PHYSICIAN, I REGULARLY RECOMMEND BEING OUTSIDE AND UTILIZING NATURAL SPACES TO MY PATIENTS DUE TO THE NUMEROUS PHYSICAL AND MENTAL HEALTH BENEFITS.
IN PARTICULAR, ON HOT SUMMER DAYS, WATERWAYS ARE INDISPENSABLE AS AREAS TO COOL DOWN AND TAKE A MENTAL BREAK.
HOWEVER, RECREATING ALONG A RIVER BECOMES DEFINITIVELY UNHEALTHY WHEN IT IS CONTAMINATED WITH RAW SEWAGE.
AND AS STUDIES SHOW, AND WE'VE HEARD TONIGHT, THE HEALTH RISKS EXIST NOT ONLY FOR THOSE WHO SWIM IN CONTAMINATED WATER, BUT THOSE WHO LIVE, WORK, OR PLAY NEARBY.
AS SUMMER HEAT BECOMES MORE EXTREME, OUR RIVERS ARE BECOMING EVEN MORE PRECIOUS RESOURCES.
AND AS RAINFALL EVENTS BECOME MORE INTENSE, WE WILL NEED THE MOST ROBUST POSSIBLE SYSTEM TO PREVENT SEWAGE FROM CONTAMINATING THESE VITAL RESOURCES.
FOR THIS REASON, I URGE THE MWRA CAMBRIDGE AND SOMERVILLE TO ADOPT A PLAN THAT WOULD ACHIEVE TRUE ELIMINATION THROUGH SEPARATION.
OR IF THAT'S INFEASIBLE VIRTUAL ELIMINATION UP TO A 25 YEAR STORM, ANYTHING LESS IS INSUFFICIENT TO ADEQUATELY SUPPORT THE HEALTH AND WELLBEING OF ALL OF US WHO LIVE, WORK, AND RECREATE ALONG OUR WATERWAYS.
NEXT UP, AND BECAUSE THERE ARE NO VIRTUAL HANDS, UM, THERE IS THE LAST PERSON TO SIGN UP.
YOU'LL BE AFTER RACHEL AND I DON'T ACTUALLY HAVE THAT NAME.
HI, IT'S WONDERFUL TO BE HERE TODAY.
I'M A RESIDENT OF SOMERVILLE AND A LAW STUDENT AT NORTHEASTERN UNIVERSITY SCHOOL OF LAW, AND A LONGTIME ADVOCATE WITH MYRA.
I RODE DAILY ON THE MYSTIC RIVER IN COLLEGE AND I RECREATE IN THE UPPER MYSTIC LAKE JUST ON A REGULAR BASIS.
WHENEVER I'M NOT IN LAW SCHOOL, I'M PLANNING TO PRACTICE ENVIRONMENTAL LAW.
I'M PROUD TO BE A CITIZEN OF MASSACHUSETTS FOR MANY REASONS, ESPECIALLY WITH RESPECT TO ENVIRONMENTAL JUSTICE EFFORTS, MASS OFFICE OF ENVIRONMENTAL JUSTICE AND EQUITY, AND THE AG G'S EG UH, EJ SUMMIT IN WORCESTER THIS YEAR, UH, REIGNITED SOME OF MY HOPE IN THE PROGRESS THAT WE HAVE GOING AT THE STATE LEVEL HERE IN MASS.
HOPE THAT IS DWINDLED WHEN LOOKING AT THE FEDERAL LANDSCAPE.
THAT SAID, I'M EMBARRASSED BY THE CSO DRAFT PLAN.
THIS PLAN DOES NOT GO FAR ENOUGH TO COMBAT COMBINE SEWER OVERFLOWS.
AND AS LEADING ORGANIZATIONS LIKE MYRA HAVE SUGGESTED, WE NEED VIRTUAL ELIMINATION OF C SSOS, IN ADDITION TO MY PERSONAL PERSUASIONS, UM, ABOUT THE ADEQUACY OF THIS PLAN, MW A'S ENABLING LEGISLATION ITSELF DEMANDS MORE, IT SAYS IN THE LEGISLATION, UH, THEREFORE IT IS DECLARED TO BE IN THE BEST INTEREST OF THE COMMONWEALTH AND ITS INHABITANTS TO PROMOTE THE GENERAL HEALTH AND WELFARE, TO IMPROVE COMMERCE AND LIVING CONDITIONS, TO CONSERVE WATER, AND TO DEVELOP AND PROTECT IN THE PUBLIC INTEREST, THE NATURAL RESOURCES OF THE COMMONWEALTH THAT THERE BE ESTABLISHED.
THE, UM, MWRA, THAT'S SECTION ONE C MASS AS A WHOLE, SHOWS GREAT RESPECT FOR BINDING CONTRACTS, LEGAL AUTHORITY, AND SCIENTIFIC DATA.
MOST IMPORTANTLY, MASS SHOWS COMPASSION FOR ALL WHO LIVE HERE, BOTH ANIMALS AND PLANTS ALIKE.
WE ARE A REFORMATIVE LEADER IN SO MANY WAYS.
IT IS INCREASINGLY IMPORTANT THAT WE CARRY THAT TORCH WHILE THE FEDERAL SYSTEM FALTERS.
LET'S SHOW THAT INITIATIVE HERE AGAIN.
AND NEXT UP IS BRIANNA RAINVILLE.
UM, I WANNA SAY TO THE COUNCIL MEMBERS, UM, THANKS FOR HOLDING THE SPACE AND EXTENDING THE COMMENT PERIOD.
UM, MY NAME'S BRIANNA RAINVILLE.
I LIVE ON RIDGEFIELD STREET IN CAMBRIDGE.
UM, I THINK IF I WERE TO ASK ANYONE IN THE ROOM, HEY, TOMORROW'S GONNA BE A WARM DAY.
WANNA GO FOR A SWIM IN THE CHARLES, EVERYONE WOULD BE LIKE, ABSOLUTELY NOT.
UM, AND I THINK ONE DAY, IF I WERE TO ASK THAT WE SHOULD BE ABLE TO, UM, WE, UM, YOU KNOW, HAVING CSOS IN 2026, AS EVERYONE HAS SAID,
[00:50:01]
UM, IT'S RIDICULOUS.UM, WE, UM, THERE AND WHILE IT'S BASED OFF OF INFRASTRUCTURE FROM, YOU KNOW, OVER 200 YEARS AGO, IT'S 2026, WE'RE ABLE TO FIX THAT.
YOU CAN LOOK AT A PROJECT ACROSS THE RIVER, THE BIG DIG.
UM, I'M TOO YOUNG TO HAVE KNOWN WHAT THE CITY WAS LIKE WITH A HIGHWAY GOING THROUGH IT, BUT NOW MANY, MANY TIMES I HAVE WALKED ALONG THE GREEN WAY AND IT'S BEAUTIFUL AND I'M SURE MANY OF YOU HAVE AS WELL.
UM, THE, WE HAVE THE ABILITY TO CREATE INFRASTRUCTURE, WHETHER IT BE BETTER PIPES TO HAVE ZERO CSO OVERFLOWS TO INCLUDE NATIVE VEGETATION, TO ALSO HELP THAT A COMBINATION OF THIS, UM, TO CREATE, UM, THIS INVESTMENT IS NECESSARY.
WE, THERE SHOULD BE NO EXCUSE TO STILL HAVE THIS HAPPENING IN 2026, AND WE SHOULD HAVE THIS PLAN, YOU KNOW, TO TAKE INTO ACCOUNT CLIMATE CHANGE, WHAT THESE STORMS WILL LOOK LIKE.
ANYTHING THAT INCLUDES CSOS IN THE FUTURE IS UNACCEPTABLE.
FOR ANYONE WHO HAS NOT MADE PUBLIC COMMENT, WHO WOULD LIKE TO, WE, UM, THANK YOU.
WE DO NOT HAVE ANY HANDS UP ONLINE.
UM, AND I DO NOT SEE ANYBODY WHO HAS NOT SPOKEN, WHO WANTS TO IN THE ROOM.
SO THIS IS THE FIRST OF THREE HEARINGS.
WE WANNA KEEP THE SAME SYSTEM FOR EACH ONE SO THAT IT'S FAIR.
SO WE'RE OUR NEXT TWO ARE SEPTEMBER 24TH AT 1:00 PM THAT IS ONLINE.
UM, SPREAD THE WORD TO OTHERS.
IF YOU THINK YOU KNOW PEOPLE WHO WOULD LIKE TO MAKE COMMENT THAT WAY, PLEASE SHARE THE MORE DETAILED ADDITIONAL THOUGHTS YOU HAVE IN WRITING AS WELL.
AND THEN WE HAVE OUR THIRD HEARING ON OCTOBER 28TH AT 6:00 PM AT SOMERVILLE CITY HALL.
SO WE WILL SEE MANY OF YOU THERE.
THANKS EVERYONE FOR SHARING ALL OF YOUR THOUGHTS.