"CAMBRIDGE, Mass. — When Ann McDonald went kayaking several weeks after a 2024 rainstorm, she thought the water in the Alewife Brook just outside Boston was safe. Even though sewage discharges into the brook during heavy storms, public health officials recommended waiting just 48 hours after rain for bacteria levels to drop — so when McDonald’s kayak got stuck in debris, she wasn’t concerned about dipping her arms into the water to free herself.
Later that afternoon, she fell sick with diarrhea. She attributes it to sewage in the water.
“I got stuck in some really stinky water,” she said. “I’m naive, and I thought I was above all this.”
McDonald’s experience is emblematic of why environmental organizations are urging local water officials to keep sewage out of waterways by committing to a more modern system with separate pipes for waste and storm runoff. But in February, the Massachusetts Water Resources Authority approved a more conservative approach to updating the existing sewer system in several communities, citing higher costs. The plan is expected to allow continued sewage discharges during heavy storms."
