Hey, there! Log in / Register
Feds sue Revere over raw sewage flowing into creeks and Boston Harbor
By adamg on Wed, 08/25/2010 - 4:48pm
The Environmental Protection Agency today sued the city of Revere, alleging its sewers often send raw human waste into storm drains that discharge into creeks leading into the harbor and Massachusetts Bay and that for more than a year, three residential sewers were illegally connected directly into a storm drain at Washburn Avenue:
Results from surface water quality samples taken from Belle Isle Inlet, Sales Creek, Trifone Brook, Central Drainage Ditch, and Mill Creek on multiple occasions from at least August 2004 through at least June 2010 demonstrate that Revere is discharging pollutants, including fecal coliform, E. coli, and Enterococcus bacteria, all indicative of sewage, biological materials, and municipal waste, from its [storm drain] outfalls.
The complaint also alleges the city failed to notify the EPA, as required, of storm-related overflows on 13 occasions over a two-year period.
The EPA is seeking fines that could run into the hundreds of thousands of dollars, according to a complaint filed in US District Court in Boston.
Neighborhoods:
Free tagging:
Ad:
Support Universal Hub
Help keep Universal Hub going. If you like what we're up to and want to help out, please consider a (completely non-deductible) contribution.
Comments
Suing Revere?
HAHAHAHAAH. What do they expect to collect, Monopoly money?
Suing to force them to stop
Revere has been pulling all sorts of shit - pun intended - to keep from having to enforce clean water standards against the local political donors. Now we also see what they were up to with their sewerage.
It isn't about the fines - it is about making them do what they are supposed to do: enforce the laws, obey them themselves. If that means putting them in receivership because they can't seem to manage their city, so be it.
Maybe they can sue Quincy too
Maybe they can sue Quincy too - ironic considering it was a lawsuit by Quincy that started the whole Boston harbor cleanup. Now we find out that runoff from Quincy is what keeps Quincy bay polluted. And of course, there's those Brookline sewer connections that are known to feed into Muddy river. And the sewer connections that are known to pour raw sewage into the Charles. These have been known for years now - why go after Revere?
Brookline has funding and a
Brookline has funding and a plan to separate all their sewers from the storm water drains going int the Muddy River. This is likely why they aren't fined by the EPA. Of course Brookline is taking it's sweet time completing this project by working piecemeal, but they have enough political clout and enough work is being done each year to get away with it.
Quincy probably has the same deal as Brookline. Working on it enough to avoid fines in the name of budgeting limiting what can be done each fiscal year.