The Cambridge City Council unanimously approved a policy order Tuesday urging the Massachusetts Water Resources Authority to reconsider its plans for a 10-million-gallon sewage storage tank beneath Magazine Beach. The order proposed alternative locations and designs that would avoid permanently closing off public parkland.
Originally co-sponsored by Councillors Cathie Zusy, Patricia Nolan, Mayor Sumbul Siddiqui and Vice Mayor Burhan Azeem, all nine councillors agreed to sign on as co-sponsors at Councillor Marc McGovern’s suggestion to present a united front against MWRA’s current plans.
The vote follows two weeks of mounting opposition to MWRA’s proposal, which would construct a 10.1-million-gallon underground storage tank beneath Magazine Beach’s playing fields, taking more than eight acres of the TKTK acre park out of use for six to eight years, and closing off 2.3 acres permanently. The tank is part of a $1.3 billion regional effort to reduce sewage discharges into the Charles River and other waterways. That work is intended to bring Cambridge, Somerville and the MWRA into compliance with federal Clean Water Act requirements enforced by the Massachusetts Department of Environmental Protection (MassDEP), the state’s environmental regulatory agency.
Residents learned of the permanent closing of part of the park at an Oct. 5 community meeting at the Morse School. Although MWRA had previously disclosed the tank’s footprint, city officials and residents said they had not been informed that the land above it would become permanently inaccessible to the public.
The revelation prompted swift opposition from residents and elected officials. In an Oct. 9 letter to MWRA, City Manager Yi-An Huang deemed it “not a viable proposal,” criticizing the authority for failing to inform the city of its plans. State Rep. Mike Connolly also vowed to oppose the project in the Legislature, whose approval would be required to convert the protected parkland to another use.
The policy order called on MWRA to explore alternative locations for the tank, including nearby Goose Meadow, a parking lot adjacent to the existing Cottage Farm sewage overflow treatment facility near the Boston University Bridge, and“potential private-property acquisitions or co-location opportunities.” It also asked the authority to consider repurposing portions of the Cottage Farm facility or redesigning the project to allow public use of the parkland above the tank after construction, rather than permanently fencing it off.
In response to the council’s vote, MWRA Director of Public Affairs Sean Navin said the agency welcomed the city’s feedback and encouraged residents to submit comments on its draft sewage overflow control plan before the Oct. 30 deadline.
“We share the goal of keeping these valuable public resources available and look forward to working with all stakeholders to design appropriate projects as we move closer to a Final Plan,” Navin said.
Baseball fields, recreational space at risk
City councillors were vocal in their opposition to the proposed loss of parkland.
“If we’re going to have a fight with someone, this is the fight we should have,” said Councillor Timothy Flaherty. “This is the fight, maybe all of us can join in and fight to preserve a public park in the city of Cambridge that is essential for the people who live here.”
McGovern, a former president of the Central Division Little League, emphasized the importance of Magazine Beach’s baseball fieldsto neighborhood children,which the league uses and which would be blocked off by construction for approximately six years.Councillor E. Denise Simmons argued that improving water quality should not come at the expense of recreational space. Zusy, known for her advocacy for the ongoing restoration of Magazine Beach, where the latest round of improvements is expected to be completed by the end of November,said she supports improving water quality in the Charles River but believes MWRA should reconsider the project’s design and scale. “Maybe the tank doesn’t have to be 10 million gallons. Maybe it could be 5 million gallons,” Zusy said. “I think there are many things that can be reconsidered.”
At the meeting, Huang reiterated that Cambridge has successfully installed underground stormwater infrastructure beneath public spaces without permanently restricting access. Deputy City Manager Kathy Watkins said city engineers had worked with MWRA for nearly five years without being informed that permanent fencing would be required.
In an interview after the meeting, Zusy clarified that the policy order does not rule out constructing a sewage storage tank beneath Magazine Beach, provided the project does not permanently eliminate public parkland. She acknowledged that the council cannot unilaterally stop MWRA from proceeding but said she hoped opposition from city officials and other stakeholders would persuade the authority to reconsider its plans.
“The city manager, the city council, the Charles River Conservancy, the Charles River Watershed Association, the Mass Department of Conservation and Recreation. I think if all these groups are questioning whether this makes sense, that the MWRA might reconsider what they presented to the community on the fifth, and consider more flexible measures,” Zusy said.
A stronger
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