Cambridge Planning Board hears utility plans for sewer, water and power upgrades

Cambridge — June 10, 2025 — The Cambridge Planning Board on Tuesday heard coordinated presentations from the Department of Public Works, the Water Department, Eversource and Vicinity Energy on planned sewer and stormwater controls, water-main replacements, electrical grid upgrades and district-energy electrification.

The updates laid out near- and long-term timetables for infrastructure work that officials said will shape resilience to heavy storms and enable electrification for new development. "About 43% of our sidewalks were in good condition, 49% were in fair condition, and 7% were in poor condition," Kathy Watkins, commissioner of public works, told the board as she reviewed a recent sidewalk and ramp inventory that the department will use to prioritize repairs and accessibility upgrades.

Why it matters: the presentations linked local investments in streets and water infrastructure to broader efforts to reduce combined sewer overflows (CSOs), modernize the distribution grid and support building decarbonization. DPW and the Massachusetts Water Resources Authority are drafting a long-term CSO control plan with a public draft expected by the end of 2025 and a finalized plan by January 2027, city staff said. That plan will inform multi-decade choices about sewer separation, storage and conveyance projects.

What the agencies reported

Department of Public Works: Kathy Watkins described a multi-year approach to sidewalks, ramps and sewer projects and emphasized the scale of the CSO challenge. She noted extensive hydraulic modeling work with Somerville and MWRA and said the city is designing projects to be "future proof" for more intense storms driven by climate change.

Water Department: Rich Holly, director of engineering and distribution, outlined water-main work and said the department expects about 1.28 miles of new water main replacements this year, with concurrent lead-service removals and improvements to fire flow. "Proposed water main replacements for this year, it's about 1.28 miles of new water main going in," Holly said.

Eversource: Jason Wright and colleagues summarized the company's electric sector modernization plan (ESMP), which ties 10-year demand forecasts to projects including the Greater Cambridge Energy Program (an underground station in Kendall Square) and an underground cable modernization program to replace aging HPFF cables with XLPE technology. Wright also described an advanced metering infrastructure rollout that will begin statewide in 2025 and expects initial Cambridge work in late 2025 or early 2026.

Vicinity Energy: Matt O'Malley said Vicinity's Kendall Square electric boiler is operational and that the company is pursuing a three-part decarbonization strategy of electric boilers, large-scale water-source heat pumps and thermal storage. "We have installed and operate a 42 megawatt electric boiler," O'Malley said. Vicinity aims to commission a city-scale heat pump that draws from the Charles River around 2028; engineers told the board first-generation heat pumps are expected to have a coefficient of performance in the roughly 2.0'to-2.5 range.

Board questions and public comment

Board members pressed agencies on funding and trade-offs. Watkins said most routine capital funding is city bonds or general revenue, with Chapter 90 and occasional federal grants supplementing specific projects; she flagged a $2.4 million federal grant for a bike-and-pedestrian bridge as uncertain. On sewer separation, DPW staff said full separation across the city is unlikely within a single 20'to-30-year control plan; instead projects will be prioritized for constructability, co-benefits and cost-effectiveness.

One resident, Heather Hoffman of Hurley Street, urged the city to avoid "raw sewage" in Alewife Brook and basements and pressed for visible neighborhood improvements such as replacement Lechmere Canal Park lighting and removal of double poles.

Next steps

Staff said the CSO draft will be circulated later this year with community meetings planned; the board and utilities will continue technical coordination on substation siting, cable routing and Vicinity's interconnections. Several presenters said more detailed project schedules and outreach will be posted to city pages as work advances.