Groups Sue EPA Over Stormwater Runoff Into Charles River

BOSTON, MA — Two environmental groups are suing the federal Environmental Protection Agency to work faster to prevent stormwater runoff into the Charles River and other major Boston-area waterways.

In a filing Wednesday, the Charles River Watershed Association and the Conservation Law Foundation sued the EPA to force the agency to issue permits to large land users along the Charles, Neponset and Mystic rivers to comply with the Clean Water Act.

Previously unregulated land users like universities, big box stores and large apartment buildings are major contributors of dirty stormwater runoff and need to be regulated by the EPA, the groups say.

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

According to CRWA data, parts of the Charles River near its source at the Hopkinton-Milford line have high E. coli concentrations, and some spots close to Medway and Holliston are unsafe for any activity. The groups say potentially toxic algae blooms are happening more often along the river, putting humans and pets at risk of getting sick.

A September filing by the EPA said the agency would begin requiring properties with more than an acre of impervious area to be permitted under the Clean Water Act. The permits come with reporting and monitoring requirements, and limits on what can be discharged into waterways.