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Somerville staff outline multi‑hundred‑million dollar CSO plan; rate increases likely
Summary
City staff presented a draft long‑term control plan for combined sewer overflows covering Alewife, Mystic and Charles watersheds. The technical team recommended a mix of targeted sewer separation, storage tanks and a microtunnel; full separation was ruled impractical. Staff warned the program will be expensive and likely require elevated water/sew
Richard Raich, director of infrastructure and asset management, presented the Somerville portion of the draft long‑term control plan for combined sewer overflows (CSOs) at the Oct. 23 council meeting. The plan covers the Alewife, Mystic and Charles watersheds and was developed in coordination with Cambridge and the Massachusetts Water Resources Authority (MWRA).
Raich said the technical team evaluated 39 project alternatives and concluded the most practicable approach blends targeted sewer separation, storage tanks and a microtunnel rather than full, citywide sewer separation. Staff explained that full separation is impractical in Somerville’s dense, nineteenth‑century street grid, that downstream constraints at MWRA facilities (including Deer Island and several pump stations) limit capacity gains,…
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