This week, the Massachusetts Water Resources Authority began a project to modify an existing Somerville combined sewer overflow (CSO) adjacent to the Alewife Brook Parkway and Alewife Brook Reservation in Cambridge.

The project will lower CSO discharges and the impacts of CSOs to Alewife Brook at this location (SOM01A) in accordance with MWRA’s Long-term CSO Control Plan and in compliance with the Federal District Court Order in the Boston Harbor Case and Schedule Seven.

The work includes: enlarging the existing hydraulic connection that allows flows in the City of Somerville’s Tannery Brook Conduit to enter MWRA’s Alewife Brook Conduit; providing, installing, operating, maintaining, monitoring, and removing a temporary wastewater bypass pumping system necessary to perform the contract work; installing an underflow baffle in the Tannery Brook Conduit for floatables control; and increasing the existing SOM01A overflow weir height in the Tannery Brook Conduit.

There should be no traffic impacts or service interruptions associated with this project. Work should be completed in about one month.

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