Local environmental organizations announced their intention to sue the Environmental Protection Agency on Thursday due to a lack of federal legislation intended to limit toxic runoff from entering three rivers in the Boston area.
The Charles, Mystic, and Neponset rivers, according to the Conservation Law Foundation and the Charles River Watershed Association, are at risk from post-storm runoff from industrial areas in their watersheds, thus they plan to sue the EPA.
According to Caitlin Peale Sloan, vice president of CLF Massachusetts, “a toxic stew is spilling into three of the area’s most famous rivers every time it rains.”
According to a news release from the CLF, the runoff typically originates from well-developed, paved commercial areas like strip malls and sizable residential complexes. They claimed that the EPA does not formally regulate the runoff flowing from these localities.
Sloan stated, “We’ve pleaded with the EPA to clean up this contamination on numerous occasions but to no avail. It’s time for the organization to hold these huge properties responsible for the ongoing harm they cause to our beloved rivers.
The CLF claimed that because the EPA failed to implement regulations safeguarding Boston’s rivers, harmful algae grew in the water during the summer. It increases the likelihood that people and animals will become ill, jeopardizes outdoor pursuits like kayaking and boating, degrades water quality, and harms the habitats of numerous marine species.
In a statement, Emily Norton, executive director of the CRWA, said, “We are disappointed that EPA has so far failed to take necessary steps to curb stormwater pollution, which is one of the biggest challenges to restoring water quality in the Charles and is only getting worse in the age of climate change.”
The EPA, the Mystic and Neponset River Watershed Associations, and the Charles River Watershed Association have worked together to monitor the water quality of the bodies of water. The Muddy River in the Charles River Watershed received a D- last year, whereas the larger river segments received grades between B- and A-.
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