Despite a common reputation for its filth, forged from rock songs and warnings imparted for decades, multiple organizations have made efforts to make the Charles River swimmable, but that could all be coming to an end soon.
A recent proposal by the Massachusetts Water Resources Authority (MWRA) would allow an increase in sewage flowing into the river by declassifying it as “safe to swim,” a classification the river has maintained since 2013.
Boston, like most older cities, has a water system that uses combined pipes for storm drainage and wastewater that is transported to the MWRA for treatment and separation. However, heavy rainfall or snowmelt can cause these pipes to reach capacity, leading to combined sewer overflows (CSOs) that drain into local bodies of water…