Charles River Watershed Association Sues EPA Over River Pollution

NEWTON, MA — Charles River Watershed Association (CRWA) and Conservation Law Foundation (CLF) have filed a lawsuit against the Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) for failing to take necessary actions to protect three Boston-area rivers, including the Charles, from polluted runoff.

Though EPA recently acknowledged the damage caused by stormwater pollution from nearby commercial, industrial, and institutional properties, CRWA and CLF claim that the agency has not issued the permits needed to protect the Charles, Mystic, and Neponset Rivers.

“These iconic rivers are suffering because of the EPA’s consistent foot-dragging,” Heather Govern, CLF’s Vice President of Clean Air and Water, said in a statement. “Despite all the evidence linking stormwater pollution to dirty and unsafe water, the agency has failed to take legally required steps to address this growing problem. We have waited over three years for them to regulate the pollution, and these rivers cannot wait any longer.”

CRWA and CLF petitioned the EPA to regulate the aforementioned properties along the Charles, Mystic, and Neponset Rivers in 2019 and 2020.

In response, the EPA announced on Sept. 14, 2022 that certain polluters in the three watersheds will be required to comply with a Clean Water Act permit to reduce stormwater runoff. However, EPA has not yet issued the permits that will actually reduce stormwater pollution, which is why CRWA and CLF are taking EPA to court.

“The EPA must move quickly,” Emily Norton, CRWA’s Executive Director, said in a statement. "Stormwater runoff is increasing as rainfall gets heavier with climate change, adding more pollution to our rivers. The Charles River is clearly suffering, as CRWA's monitoring of toxic algal blooms and water quality shows.”

The failure to regulate these polluters has resulted in ever-increasing toxic algae blooms on all three rivers in the warmer months, which make people and pets sick and put activities like boating and kayaking at risk, CLF and CRWA said. The blooms also degrade water quality and harm local wildlife.