Charles River Options May Loosen Pollution Regulations

Government officials who fear the Charles River could one day all but dry up are considering letting towns and businesses increase the pollution they dump into it if they also provide for major infusions of clean water.

``We have a serious problem,'' said Robert Zimmerman, executive director of the Charles River Watershed Association.

As development continues in the roughly 300 square miles that line the river, the roads, parking lots and buildings prevent water from seeping into the earth and then into the river.

The watershed association yesterday announced it had received a $106,000 federal grant to explore whether increasing the flow of clean ground water into the Charles would justify allowing slightly more pollution.

One benefit proponents cite is that diluting wastewater may prove far cheaper than extracting every last bit of pollution. Money saved at wastewater treatment plants would be used to buy water recovery systems for other sites. The second benefit would be the mere addition of more water.

Options under consideration by environmental regulators include requiring that new homes built within the Charles watershed include systems to recover rainwater from gutters, leaving some for such uses as washing cars but shunting much of it deep underground before it's contaminated on the surface. The cost would be about $2,500 per house. Another possibility would be putting systems on commercial buildings to capture rainwater.

Before requiring any new equipment, Zimmerman said, the association wants to spend about 18 months making sure it would work.

Source: Boston Herald